MDM_bias_response

=** __ Response Bias __ **= Response bias is a type of bias that is affected by the respondents answering questions in a way that differs from their true beliefs, and may result in statistical error.

Considering these suggestions when creating survey questions can prevent response bias:

Write short and clear questions that won’t cause confusion.

Avoid using loaded or leading questions. A loaded question is something that contains loaded words that may provoke a positive or negative response from the respondent. A leading question is phrased so that the researcher expects a certain answer.

(i.e. Don’t you agree that …..)

Avoid double-barreled questions that combine two or more issues in one question.

(i.e. Do you think that this course is easy and helpful?)

Avoid double negatives that may cause confusion.

(i.e. Do you disagree that students should not be allowed to skip?)

For closed ended questions, it is important to use both mutually exclusive **AND** exhaustive response categories.

For example, when asking a respondent for his/her age:

10 or less 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40…. and so on,

These choices are **NOT** mutually exclusive because those who are 10, 20, 30, …. have more than one option to choose from.

With the same example,

10 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40… and so on,

These choices do **NOT** fit into an exhaustive responsive category since there is no option for those who are under 10.

To avoid response bias, it is important for the questions to be both mutually exclusive as well as a part of an exhaustive response category.

Avoiding response bias is the key to delivering a successful survey.

//Response Bias//. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2009, from [] Mazor, K. (n.d.). //A Demonstration of the Impact of Response Bias on the Results of Patient Satisfaction Surveys//. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from [|www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1464019/] //Response Bias//. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2009, from [] //Logical Fallacy: Loaded Question//. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2009, from [] //Statistics and Probability Dictionary//. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2009, from []
 * __ Works Cited __**