Cognitive Interviewing

Gordon B. Willis is a cognitive psychologist in the Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health; and lectures for the Joint Program for Survey Methodology (JPSM). Prior to that, he was a research methodologist at Research Triangle Institutes in Rockville, Maryland, where he established a cognitive laboratory facility. He also worked for over a decade in the Questionnaire Design Research Laboratory at the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, developing and applying cognitive interviewing techniques. Dr. Willis attended Oberlin College, and received a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Northwestern University. He now works mainly on the development and evaluation of questionnaires that collect information on cancer risk factors. His main research interest is the evaluation of survey pretesting techniques, especially the cognitive interview. Dr. Willis is an authority on the use of cognitive interviewing, based on his work on developing and practicing these methods at three different organizations. He has personally conducted hundreds of cognitiv interviews and overseen the work of teams of interviewers. He has taught cognitive interviewing in short courses at survey conferences and in university lectures. Willis has also written extensively on the practice and theoretical and empirical evaluation of cognitive interviewing techniques.

ORIENTATION AND BACKGROUND Introduction to Cognitive Interviewing What is (and isn't) cognitive interviewing? A broader perspective: The cognitive testing process Setting the Stage: First Principles of Questionnaire Design Questionnaire-related (and other) sources of error in self-report surveys Why do survey questions produce response error? A sociolinguistic perspective How can we avoid problems in survey questions? If we are proficient designers, why do we need to test questions? Chapter summary Exercise: Question evaluation The CASM Approach to Questionnaire Design Origins of CASM Applications of Basic CASM Research Cognitive interviewing as Applied CASM Research Chapter summary Cognitive Interviewing in Practice: Think-Aloud, Verbal Probing, and Other Techniques Think-Aloud interviewing Verbal Probing Techniques Concurrent versus retrospective interviewing Choosing between think-aloud and probing techniques Vignettes, card sorts, and field-based probes Chapter summary THE INTRICACIES OF VERBAL PROBING Developing Standard Cognitive Probes Examples of cognitive probing Logical and structural problems A systematic approach to probe development: The Question Pitfalls Model Chapter summary Exercise: Using the QAS to develop probe questions Beyond the Standard Model of Verbal Probing A classification of probe types Proactive versus Reactive probing Standardized versus free-form probes Chapter summary Exercise: Emergent probing A Further Perspective: Probing as Expansive Interviewing A broad view of cognitive interviewing The Ethnographic Interview as an alternative perspective Merging Cognitive and Expansive interviewing Chapter summary Avoiding Probing Pitfalls Are we in danger of finding problems that don't exist? Practices that avoid artificial problems Chapter summary THE COGNITIVE TESTING PROCESS Training of Cognitive Interviewers Who makes a good cognitive interviewer? Technical background of the cognitive interviewer How should cognitive interviewer training be accomplished? Continuing education in cognitive interviewing Chapter summary Planning and Conducting Cognitive Interviews Fitting cognitive testing into the overall design sequence Preparing for the interview: Subject recruitment The interviewing process Logistic issues in the cognitive interview Chapter summary Analyzing and Documenting Cognitive Interview Results Characterizing cognitive interview outcomes The analysis of think-aloud interview results Analysis of the probed interview Persistent analysis issues Chapter summary Exercise: Analyzing cognitive interviews OTHER ISSUES AND TOPICS Special Applications of Cognitive Interviewing Adjusting to survey administration mode Cognitive testing of sensitive questions Cognitive interviewing and establishment surveys Testing questions on attitudes and opinions Interviewing across the age range Testing non-questionnaire materials Chapter summary Evaluation of Cognitive Interviewing Techniques Theoretical perspectives Empirical evaluation of cognitive interviewing Are we evaluating the right outcome? Limitations to cognitive interviews Chapter summary Beyond Cognitive Testing: Affiliated Pretesting Methods Expert Review Focus Groups Behavior Coding Reinterview surveys How do pretesting methods compare? Chapter summary Recommendations and Future Directions Twelve recommendations for cognitive interviewing practice Future directions for cognitive interviewing A final case study In conclusion References Appendix 1. Sample cognitive testing protocol Appendix 2. Example

"As both an academic instructor in questionnaire design and a research design methodologist for the federal government, I feel this book is very timely, useful for students and practitioners, and unique in its use of real world practical examples that most everyone can relate." -- Terry Richardson "The combination of theory and practical application will make this a useful book for students as well as professionals who want to learn how to incorporate cognitive interviewing into the questionnaire design process." -- Rachel Caspar "The book has definite strong points. After reading Willis's book, I feel more comfortable about developing questions for customer surveys. It's a great reminder that people being surveyed may need more specific questions to provide an accurate response in the cognitive interview." -- Rhonda Lunemann * Journal of the Society for Technical Communication *