Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

364 GLOSSARY
questionnaires list the topics to be covered but leave the exact
wording and order of questions to the interviewer’s discretion.
Unstructured questionnaires are more likely to be used by anthropologists
or psychologists and in clinical settings.
symmetrical distribution A distribution that is symmetrical
around the midpoint. The most common example is the normal
distribution.
telescoping Misremembering the date when a behavior occurred—
particularly, remembering it as having occurred more recently than
it did and falling into the period referred to in the question, rather
than in an earlier period for which information is not being
obtained.
threatening and nonthreatening questions Threatening questions
make the respondent uneasy and include as a subgroup questions
about socially desirable and undesirable behavior. In addition, some
respondents will be threatened by questions dealing with financial
or health status, since these topics usually are not discussed with
strangers. Nonthreatening questions, in contrast, are those that do
not make the respondent uneasy. Questions dealing with drug use,
for example, are likely to be threatening to users but not to nonusers.
Note that threat depends on perceptions. (See also social
desirability, social undesirability.)
transitional phrases and questions Words or questions used in
questionnaires to alert the respondent that the topic of the questions
is about to change. Used to help the respondent understand
the logical order being followed.
validation The process of obtaining outside data to measure the
accuracy of reported behavior in surveys. Validation may be at
either an individual or a group level. Examples include using financial
or medical records to check on reporting of assets or illness
costs. Unless public records are used, validation at the individual
level requires the consent of the respondent. In survey research, val-