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Activity Number:
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61
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Type:
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Topic Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Sunday, July 29, 2007 : 4:00 PM to 5:50 PM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Survey Research Methods
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| Abstract - #309580 |
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Title:
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The Influence of Color and Space Constraints on Responses to Open-Ended Questions in Paper Questionnaires
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Author(s):
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Virginia Lesser*+ and Lydia Newton
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Companies:
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Oregon State University and Oregon State University
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Address:
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Department of Statistics, Corvallis, OR, 97330,
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Keywords:
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open-ended questions ; mail surveys
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Abstract:
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A number of experiments were conducted across different populations investigating the use of color and design of the response space allotted for open-ended questions. Eleven studies were conducted from 2004 to 2006. Black and white versions of the questionnaire were compared to either green or blue colored questionnaires. In the visitor surveys, park personnel randomly distributed the questionnaires as individuals entered the park. The size and shape of the area provided for open ended responses varied across the questionnaires in the visitor surveys. For each study, the number of words was determined for each open ended question appearing on the questionnaire. Response rates for the different questionnaire versions were compared. Responses across closed-ended questions were compared to evaluate whether responses differed among the groups.
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