Question

Many questionnaires are made up of a series of different questions that use the same response categories (e.g., strongly agree, agree, neither, disagree, strongly disagree). Some designs will have different groups of respondents answer alternative versions of the questionnaire that present the questions in different orders and reverse the orientation of the endpoints of the scale (e.g., agree on the right and disagree on the left or vice versa). The purpose of such questionnaire variations is to

1) Eliminate intentional misrepresentations.
2) Reduce the effects of pattern response tendencies.
3) Test whether respondents are reading the questionnaire.
4) Make it possible to get information about more than one population parameter using the same questions.

Answer 1

Questionnaires with different versions and variations of questions can eliminate misrepresentations, reduce response biases, test respondent attention, and gather information from multiple populations.

Step-by-step explanation:

Questionnaires are a common research method used by psychologists to gather data. These surveys consist of a series of questions that participants answer, often using closed-ended response categories such as agree, disagree, or no opinion. By using different versions of the questionnaire that present the questions in different orders and reverse the orientation of the response categories, researchers can achieve several goals:

1. Eliminate intentional misrepresentations: By alternating the order of questions and response categories, researchers can minimize deliberate bias or misrepresentation in responses.
2. Reduce the effects of pattern response tendencies: Varying the questionnaire design helps to reduce the impact of response patterns or biases that may arise from individuals consistently choosing the same response option.
3. Test whether respondents are reading the questionnaire: By including different versions of the questionnaire, researchers can assess whether respondents are carefully reading and paying attention to the questions being asked.
4. Make it possible to get information about more than one population parameter using the same questions: By using different questionnaire variations, researchers can gather information from different populations and compare their responses using the same set of questions.