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Working Paper

A Tool for Evaluating the Design of Visually Administered Instruments

May 2001

A data collection instrument that a respondent self completes through the visual channel, such as on paper or over the Web, is visually administered.

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Working Paper

SIPP Advance Letter Research

March 23, 2001

This report documents research regarding the revised advance letter used for the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

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Working Paper

An Experiment with Skip Instructions on Paper Questionnaires

March 07, 2000

Research has shown that questionnaires with skip instructions produce higher item nonresponse than those without.

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Working Paper

Improving Electronic Data Collection and Dissemination

March 07, 2000

Electronic modes of data collection and data dissemination pose challenges to instrument designers and user-interface designers.

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Working Paper

Influence of Alternative Visual Designs on Respondents' Performance

2000

In Chapter 5, Beatty and Hermann examine the cognitive processes that may lead to peoples’ decisions not to respond to survey items.

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Working Paper

Influence of Type of Question on Skip Pattern Compliance

2000

Our purpose in this paper is to describe eight distinguishing structural attributes of the test questions.

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Working Paper

Cognitive Testing of Health Insurance Questions for Wave 12 SIPP

August 1999

Center for Survey Methods Research (CSMR) staff conducted cognitive interviews to test some revisions to health insurance questions.

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Working Paper

Context Effects for Census Measures of Race and Hispanic Origin

February 08, 1999

This paper reports on the results of a split-ballot experiment conducted in 1987 to test alternative versions of the decennial census long form.

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Working Paper

Hidden Assumptions: The Use of Vignettes in Cognitive Interviewing

February 08, 1999

The answers given by respondents to survey questions arise out of complex cognitive processes which involve more than strategies of recall.

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Working Paper

Making the Transition From Pretesting to Quality Assessment

February 08, 1999

The intent of this paper, in general terms, is to describe the problem-solving behavior of survey researchers.

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Working Paper

The Cognitive Evaluation of the Nativity Questions for the CPS

February 08, 1999

Before becoming a permanent addition to the CPS in January 1994, the nativity questions were pretested using cognitive evaluation techniques.

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Working Paper

The Role of Respondent Debriefing Questions

February 08, 1999

Cognitive interviewing techniques are increasingly being used in questionnaire development to assess respondents' comprehension.

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Working Paper

Report on Cognitive Interviews on Two Six-Person Census Forms

1999

This report contains the results of cognitive testing of six-person census short forms conducted by the Census Bureau.

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Working Paper

Teens talk: Are Adolescents Willing & Able to Answer Survey Questions?

1998

In this paper, we will discuss results from two tests and associated modifications made to the survey instrument.

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Working Paper

Beyond Concurrent Interviews: An Evaluation of Cognitive Interviewing

1998

Two of the most widely described cognitive interviewing techniques are the concurrent and retrospective interviews.

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Working Paper

Collecting Address Information from People at Mobile Food Van Stops

1998

In Census 2000, the Census Bureau will make special efforts to reach people who do not have a usual place of residence.

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Working Paper

Conceptual & Methodological Issues in Defining Basic Statistical Units

1998

Clear delineation of the universe and basic survey units is critical in surveys and censuses.

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Working Paper

Developing the Survey of Program Dynamics Survey Instruments

1998

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, the Census Bureau was charged to evaluate the impact of the law.

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Working Paper

Human-Computer Interface Usability in a Survey Organization

1998

We address the start-up of a usability research and testing capability at the Census Bureau.

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Working Paper

Improving Survey Quality Through Pretesting

1998

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Working Paper

Improving Survey Quality through Pretesting

1998

As the vehicle of data collection, the questionnaire is one of the critical components in achieving high quality in a survey.

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Working Paper

Questionnaire Design Effects on Interview Outcomes

1998

Field test of an experimental test of two instrument structures — the traditional “person-based” approach versus a new “topic-based” design.

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Working Paper

Within-Household Disagreements as a Source of Survey Coverage Error

1998

This paper draws on data from the Living Situation Survey.

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Working Paper

Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD): Pretest Evaluation Report

December 19, 1997

Welfare reform legislation was passed and the Census Bureau was mandated to conduct a survey to evaluate welfare reform and its impact on the nation.

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Working Paper

Cognitive Evaluation of Proposed Disability Question

September 22, 1997

Data needs in the area of disability are changing with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and with welfare reform.

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Working Paper

Third-Person Reporting of Hispanic Origin and Race

May 17, 1997

Hispanic origin and race are problematic data elements in censuses and surveys.

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Working Paper

Better Formatting for Lower Response Burden

1997

This paper will present a modest qualitative effort to look at the implications of varying the instruction design.

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Working Paper

How Do People Answer Income Questions?

1997

People do not always answer questions regarding their household's income the way the question designer expected them to.

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Working Paper

Improving the Navigational Qualities of the Decennial Short Form

1997

This research is part of the Census' continuing effort to design decennial short forms that are respondent friendly, machine imagable, and cost efficient.

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Working Paper

Income Measurement Error in Surveys: A Review

1997

Because income data are germane to a wide array of important policy issues, income questions are almost ubiquitous in government-sponsored surveys.

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Working Paper

Plant-Capture Method for Estimating the Size of the Street Population

1997

In 1990, the Census Bureau conducted two operations designed to include homeless persons in the census.

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Working Paper

Report to OMB on Third-Person Reporting of Hispanic Origin and Race

1997

This report documents the successive results of multi-stage research to develop, test, and field experimental Hispanic origin and race questions.

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Working Paper

Using Administrative Record Persons in the 1996 Community Census

1997

Names and characteristics from administrative records are a possible source of people missed in the Census.

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Working Paper

Cognitive & Motivational Properties of 2 Simple Form Mailing Packages

November 1996

We conducted this research to evaluate the cognitive and motivational properties of two mailing packages proposed for inclusion in the 1997 National Survey.

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Working Paper

Report on Results of Response Scale Research

November 1996

The Center for Survey Methods Research conducted experimental research to evaluate the response scales used in the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey.

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Working Paper

A Discussion of Data Collection Via the Internet

August 1996

In recent years, there has been a trend toward greater automation in the interview/data collection process.

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