A Student Planning a Survey on Altruism Seeks Your Advice

question 37

Essay

A student planning a survey on altruism seeks your advice. She is interested in documenting the level of altruism at her college, plans to do a Web survey, and is trying to figure out what questions to ask.
a. Below are three of the many questionnaire items she is considering as possible measures of altruism. Focusing on the wording or language of the questions, carefully explain what is wrong with each item.
(1) Do you care about the homeless people in this country? [yes] [no]
(2) Do you regularly offer assistance to strangers? [yes] [no]
(3) Do you and your family contribute to United Way? [yes] [no]
b. How would you revise each item to make it acceptable?
c. Aside from your feedback on these items, what advice would you give her regarding types of question and question order?
d. What recommendations would you make regarding the administration of the survey?

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Definitions:

Illusory Correlations

Observing supposed links among elements (often humans, events, or conducts) where no real correlation exists.

Statistical Techniques

Mathematical methods used to collect, analyze, interpret, and present data in a meaningful way.

Illusory Correlation

The perception of a relationship between two variables when no such relationship exists.

Psychological Variable

An element, feature, or factor that can be changed and can affect the outcome of psychological research or behavior.