Methods for the Analysis of Cognitive Interviews

• Activity Number: 140
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 2, 2010 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Johnny Blair+ and Pat Dean Brick*
• Companies: Abt Associates, Inc. and Westat
• Keywords: cognitive interviewing ; verbal reports ; think aloud ; verbal protocol ; ; analysis of cognitive interviews ; questionnaire testing

Abstract

Cognitive interviewing has become a predominant method of survey question pretesting. Despite the stature that cognitive interviewing enjoys as an established and respected pretesting method, there is little consensus on the ways in which the verbal reports should be handled or how the analysis should be conducted. Nor is there a widely accepted notion of what comprises "evidence" from a cognitive session. In many important ways, cognitive interviewing has evolved from and become different from the original think aloud and verbal protocol methodologies of cognitive psychology. We revisit the original think aloud and verbal protocol methodology and examine how current question pretesting practices align with the original goals and limitations of the think aloud method.