Up close and personal: Person to Person Data Collection Techniques

1
Up close and personal Person to Person Data
Collection Techniques

• Presented by the Penn State Survey Research
  Center
• Brian Hutchison Ron Slomski Jan Baker

2
Goal

• To introduce four face-to-face data collection
  methods
• Paper (Scannable)
• Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI)
• Video
• Saliva
• Our goal is to present these methods from a
  practitioner's perspective and provide useful
  tools we have developed to aid in the
  implementation of these projects while ensuring
  the highest standard of data quality.

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Objectives

• This workshop will help you to
• Decide how to use these types of data collection
  to meet your research goals
• Establish some of the interviewer protocols and
  data collections procedures for a project
• Determine what supplies and equipment are
  necessary for these types of projects
• Identify issues and problems that arise and the
  tools to resolve them.

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Fundamental survey research principles (Couper
et al., 1998, p. 3-4)

• 1. Define population to which results will be
  generalized (people or organizations)
• 2. Construct a list of the population members
  (sampling frame)
• 3. Use probability methods to select sample from
  population

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Fundamental survey research principles (Couper et
al., 1998, p. 3-4)

• 4. Prepare questionnaire (instrument)
• 5. Complete questionnaires under comparable
  conditions
• 6. Edit questionnaire data for completeness
• 7. Interpret results using statistical theory and
  infer conclusions about the population

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Paper (Scannable) Contents

• How do scannable surveys work?
• Why use scannable surveys?
• What types of situations do we use scan-able
  surveys in?

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Paper surveys How?

• Instruments can be designed using Scantron
  method or in TeleForm
• TeleForm uses cornerstones to map the layout of
  each page
• The software then knows where to look for the
  data on that specific page of the survey

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Paper surveys Why?

• Saves cost surveys can be printed on normal
  copy paper using a office printer
• No data entry required
• Professional presentation surveys can be
  printed with graphics, in booklet form, or with
  different colors
• Collect written responses - reads handwriting
• Quality Verification process

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Paper surveys When?

• The SRC uses paper surveys for the following
  types of data collection
• Face-to-Face/ Large Groups
• Face-to-Face/ Individual
• Mail Out/ Mail Back
• Telephone
• Mall intercept

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CAPI Contents

• Types of computer assisted interviewing
  technologies
• In-depth Computer Assisted Personal Interview
• Why CAPI?
• CAPI Tools
• Interviewer Concerns
• Supervisor Concerns
• CAPI Wrap Up

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Computer assisted interviewing technologies
(Lyberg et al., 1997, p.204)
Computer Assisted Survey Information Collection,
Edited by Mick Couper, Reginald Baker, Jelke
Bethlehem, Cyntyia Clarke, Jean Nicholls II, and
James ORielly, 1998, John Wiley and Sons Inc.,
p. 10-12.
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Why use CAPI?

• The presence of an interviewer lends credibility
  and increases response rate.
• Personal interview samples have better coverage
  of population, especially low income, because it
  is address based not telephone number based.
• Respondent more willing to do long interviews in
  person than on telephone.
• The interviewer is there to answer questions,
  probe for more depth to answer, and make
  observations.
• Opportunity to incorporate other types of data
  collection (i.e. video, saliva, observation)

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How CAPI Improves Process?

• Patch system
• secure servers
• patch/programming
• patch/data
• automatic email
• upload to server

• Screen set up
• Question types
• Skip patterns
• Random question generation
• Automatic error catcher

Go to Demonstration
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CAPI Tools

• Newspaper recruitment ad
• Laptop computer
• Modem cable
• Diskettes
• Response cards
• Carrying case
• Employee expectations and evaluation

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CAPI Interviewer Concerns

• Basic skills
• Interviewer operates the computer, reads the
  questions from the computer screen and records
  the respondents answers. (Lyberg et al., p. 222)
• Must possess the ability to gain respondent
  cooperation via telephone or face-to-face.
• Safety id badges, schedule updated, cell phone
• Following administrative procedures.

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Supervisor Concerns

• Effective Interviewer Training
• Progress Monitoring
• Appointment Schedule
• Auto email/ Completed int. Notification
• Staff evaluation forms

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CAPI Wrap Up

• Effective Communication is critical
  between/among
• Client
• Collaborative Colleagues at other Universities
• Computer Programmer
• Project Manager
• Data Manager
• Field Interviewers
• Respondents

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Video Contents

• What is Behavioral Coding?
• Why Video Data Collection?
• What Tools Are Needed?
• What Makes a Good Interviewer?
• What are some Supervisory Considerations?
• Video wrap-up

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Behavioral Coding

• Measure individual characteristics and
  participant interactions
• Various systems used
• Various settings can be used
• Kerig and Lindahl, 2001 is a starting source

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Why Video Data Collection?

• To study patterns of interaction such as how a
  family communicates.
• To capture the affective quality of an
  interaction.
• To provide an outside, more objective perspective
  on an interaction.

PROSPER Training Manual, 2004
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Tools

• Sturdy, simple to operate camera
• Tripod
• Back-up power systems
• Recording medium such as DV tapes
• Written script to be followed every interview
• Task cards

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What Makes a Good Interviewer?

• People who have interests in the behavioral
  sciences and people in general.
• People who can be friendly but not become friends
  with those being interviewed.
• People with a flexible outlook on events.
• People who pay attention to detail.
• People with some technical savvy.

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Supervisory Considerations

• Finding the right people for the job
• Quality control of interviews
• Assessing productivity
• Hardware issues

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Video Interviewing Wrap Up

• Video interviewing can add important dimension to
  study
• Careful planning and follow-up can assure good
  results

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Saliva Collection Contents

• What does saliva measure?
• Why choose saliva?
• How does the collection work?
• What are some helpful tools and procedures?

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Saliva Collection What?

• Cortisol stress levels used in early
  childhood development
• Testosterone sexual and physical performance
  behavior such as aggression, violence
• Progesterone reproduction hormone replacement
  therapy
• Secretory IgA age, stress, exercise, disease
  related effects immune function

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Saliva Collection Why?

• Ease of collection Minimal training is
  necessary and individuals can collect their own
  samples.
• Non-invasive method It is much easier to
  recruit subjects for studies that utilize saliva.
  
• Cost effective Supplies for collecting samples
  are much less expensive.
• Safety The U.S. Center for Disease Control does
  NOT classify saliva as a Class II biohazard.
• Accuracy Saliva levels are highly correlated
  with serum levels.

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Saliva Collection How?

• Factors to consider diurnal cycle and response/
  recovery times of analyte
• Contamination
• Collection Methods
• Plastic straws and vials
• Salivettes
• Cotton Dental Rope
• Sample Storage

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Saliva Collection Tools

• Equipment Needs
• Saliva collection tool
• Cooler or dry ice mail envelope
• Cooling packets or dry ice
• Storage Facility (refrigerator freezer)
• Collection Protocol
• Timer

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Person-to-Person Wrap up

• Questions?
• Thank you