When to Use Surveys in Psychological Research

When to Use Surveys in Psychological Research Student Resources Study Guides and Tips Print When to Use Surveys in Psychological Research By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on September 17, 2019 PeopleImages/Getty Images More in Student Resources Study Guides and Tips APA Style and Writing Careers A survey is a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals. Surveys are commonly used in psychology research to collect self-report data from study participants. A survey may focus on factual information about individuals, or it might aim to obtain the opinions of the survey takers.?? So why do psychologists opt to use surveys so often in psychology research??? Surveys are one of the most commonly used research tools?? because they can be utilized to collect data and describe naturally occurring phenomena that exist in the real world. They offer researchers a way to collect a great deal of information in a relatively quick and easy way. A large number of responses can be obtained quite quickly, which allows scientists to work with a lot of data. Survey Use in Psychology Research A survey can be used to investigate the characteristics, behaviors, or opinions of a group of people. These research tools can be used to ask questions about demographic information?? about characteristics such as sex, religion, ethnicity, and income. They can also collect information on experiences, opinions, and even hypothetical scenarios. For example, researchers might present people with a possible scenario and then ask them how they might respond in that situation. How do researchers go about collecting information using surveys??? A survey can be administered in a couple of different ways. In one method known as a structured interview, the researcher asks each participant with the questions. In the other method known as a questionnaire, the participant fills out the survey on his or her own. You have probably taken many different surveys in the past, although the questionnaire method tends to be the most common. Surveys are generally standardized to ensure that they have reliability and validity. Standardization?? is also important so that the results can be generalized to the larger population. Advantages of Using Surveys One of the big benefits of using surveys in psychological research is that they allow researchers to gather a large quantity of data relatively quickly and cheaply. A survey can be administered as a structured interview or as a self-report measure, and data can be collected in person, over the phone, or on a computer. Surveys allow researchers to collect a large amount of data in a relatively short period.Surveys are less expensive than many other data collection techniques.Surveys can be created quickly and administered easily.Surveys can be used to collect information on a broad range of things, including personal facts, attitudes, past behaviors, and opinions. Disadvantages of Using Surveys One potential problem with written surveys is the nonresponse bias. Experts suggest that return rates of 85 percent or higher are considered excellent, but anything below 60 percent might have a severe impact on the representativeness of the sample. Poor survey construction and administration can undermine otherwise well-designed studies.The answer choices provided in a survey may not be an accurate reflection of how the participants actually feel.While random sampling is generally used to select participants, response rates can bias the results of a survey.The social desirability bias?? can lead people to respond in a way that makes them look better than they really are. For example, a respondent might report that they engage in more healthy behaviors than they do in real life. Advantages Efficient Less expensive Easy to create and administer Diverse uses Disadvantages Subject to nonresponse bias May be poorly designed Limited answer choices can influence results Subject to social desirability bias Types of Survey Data Collection Surveys can be implemented in a number of different ways.?? The chances are good that you have participated in a number of different market research surveys in the past. Some of the most common ways to administer surveys include: Mail â€"  An example might include an alumni survey distributed via direct mail by your alma mater.Telephone â€"  An example of a telephone survey would be a market research call about your experiences with a certain consumer product.Online â€"  Online surveys might focus on your experience with a particular retailer, product or website.At home interviews â€"  The U.S. Census is a good example of an at-home interview survey administration.