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

74 ASKING QUESTIONS
First, longer questions provide memory cues and act as a form of
aided recall. In an experiment, we compared a short question with
a long question dealing with wine drinking. Note that the longer
question lists possible uses of wine and reminds the respondents of
possible settings and occasions to help with recall.
Did you ever drink, even once, wine or champagne? (If yes):
Have you drunk any wine or champagne in the past year?
Wines have become increasingly popular in this country
during the last few years. (By wines, we mean liqueurs,
cordials, sherries, and similar drinks, as well as table wines,
sparkling wines, and champagne.) Have you ever drunk,
even once, wine or champagne? (If yes): You might have
drunk wine to build your appetite before dinner, to
accompany dinner, to celebrate some occasion, to enjoy
a party, or for some other reason. Have you drunk any
wine or champagne in the last year?
The second reason longer questions can result in better accuracy
is that the longer question takes more time for the interviewer
to read, and it gives respondents more time to think. All else being
equal, the more time respondents spend on the memory task, the
more they will recall.
The third reason longer questions are used has to do with the
recent finding in psychological experiments that the length of
the reply is directly related to the length of the question. If the
interviewer talks more, the respondent will also talk more. If a written
question is longer, the respondent will write more. Although
length of response is not necessarily a direct measure of quality of
response (particularly on attitudinal questions), longer responses
will often lead to remembering additional events, cued by the
respondent’s own conversation.
Yet longer questions have the same possible disadvantages as
aided recall. Although longer questions reduce omissions, the
implicit demand for a positive response may increase telescoping.