ERIC Number: EJ1148264
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Aug
Pages: 50
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0049-1241
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
First Equals Most Important? Order Effects in Vignette-Based Measurement
Auspurg, Katrin; Jäckle, Annette
Sociological Methods & Research, v46 n3 p490-539 Aug 2017
To measure what determines people's attitudes, definitions, or decisions, surveys increasingly ask respondents to judge vignettes. A vignette typically describes a hypothetical situation or object as having various attributes (dimensions). In factorial surveys, the values (levels) of dimensions are experimentally varied, so that their impact on respondents' judgments can be estimated. Drawing on the literature in cognitive psychology and survey methodology, we examine two research questions: Does the order in which dimensions are presented impact the vignette evaluations and change substantive conclusions? Under which conditions are order effects mostly likely to occur? Using data from a web survey of 300 students, we analyze several possible moderators: features of the vignette design, characteristics of respondents, and interactions between these features. Results show that strong order effects can occur, but only when the vignettes are of a minimum complexity or respondents show a low attitude certainty.
Descriptors: Vignettes, Correlation, Online Surveys, Student Surveys, Student Attitudes, Cognitive Psychology, Factor Analysis, Measurement, Questionnaires, Experimental Groups, College Students, Foreign Countries, Social Sciences, Majors (Students), Cognitive Ability, Rating Scales, Income, Salaries, Knowledge Level, Statistical Analysis, Hypothesis Testing
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
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