Cognitive methods can provide valuable and extensive qualitative information about the survey response process through the use of one-to-one interviews with respondents. A structured and detailed protocol is administered with the goal of acquiring information and insight about the "thinking process" that respondents undergo when answering survey questions. Cognitive interviews can be used to acquire information and insight about numerous aspects of the survey response process including the respondent's:
Information collected from retrospective and concurrent cognitive think-aloud interviews can be used to improve:
This presentation will describe the purpose of cognitive methods in survey research, common approaches to utilizing these methods when developing and improving surveys, and the integration of these strategies in a survey design and development program. Typical procedures used by cognitive psychologists to assess how respondents answer survey questions relative to issues of memory, record-keeping, comprehension of important concepts, and design and formatting of survey questions and the total survey form itself will be described. Examples will be provided demonstrating gains made through the utilization of these methods, including improved visual forms design, clarified cognitive concepts, and the use of bounded recall to improve memory for important events.