Author Question: What are some possible advantages and disadvantages associated with using surveys to enhance our ... (Read 82 times)

sam.t96 · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

What are some possible advantages and disadvantages associated with using surveys to enhance our understanding of social behavior?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Provide a hypothesis that can be tested using the experimental method. Identify the independent variable and the dependent variable in your experiment.

What will be an ideal response?

ryrychapman11 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: Although surveys are useful in collecting data about behaviors that cannot easily be observed directly and surveys can afford the prediction of behaviors, the data they generate are correlational data, so unequivocal cause-and-effect conclusions cannot be drawn. In addition, surveys using nonrepresentative samples can yield inaccurate results and conclusions. Finally, even surveys collected from representative samples can yield inaccurate responses due to unclear or leading questions or inaccurate respondent recall or reports.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: Whatever the hypothesis, the independent variable is the variable that is manipulated; there must be at least two levels of the independent variable for the study to be an experiment. Whatever the hypothesis, the dependent variable is the variable that is measured; it may be an attitude, a feeling, a belief, or a behavior.