What Can We Learn From Factorial Surveys About Human Behavior?

Methodology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Petzold ◽  
Tobias Wolbring
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Factorial Survey ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Intended Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
High Level

Abstract. Factorial survey experiments are increasingly used in the social sciences to investigate behavioral intentions. The measurement of self-reported behavioral intentions with factorial survey experiments frequently assumes that the determinants of intended behavior affect actual behavior in a similar way. We critically investigate this fundamental assumption using the misdirected email technique. Student participants of a survey were randomly assigned to a field experiment or a survey experiment. The email informs the recipient about the reception of a scholarship with varying stakes (full-time vs. book) and recipient’s names (German vs. Arabic). In the survey experiment, respondents saw an image of the same email. This validation design ensured a high level of correspondence between units, settings, and treatments across both studies. Results reveal that while the frequencies of self-reported intentions and actual behavior deviate, treatments show similar relative effects. Hence, although further research on this topic is needed, this study suggests that determinants of behavior might be inferred from behavioral intentions measured with survey experiments.

scholarly journals The Generalizability of Survey Experiments

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Mullinix ◽  
Thomas J. Leeper ◽  
James N. Druckman ◽  
Jeremy Freese
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Treatment Effects ◽  
Causal Power ◽  
Experimental Treatment ◽  
Population Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk

AbstractSurvey experiments have become a central methodology across the social sciences. Researchers can combine experiments’ causal power with the generalizability of population-based samples. Yet, due to the expense of population-based samples, much research relies on convenience samples (e.g. students, online opt-in samples). The emergence of affordable, but non-representative online samples has reinvigorated debates about the external validity of experiments. We conduct two studies of how experimental treatment effects obtained from convenience samples compare to effects produced by population samples. In Study 1, we compare effect estimates from four different types of convenience samples and a population-based sample. In Study 2, we analyze treatment effects obtained from 20 experiments implemented on a population-based sample and Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The results reveal considerable similarity between many treatment effects obtained from convenience and nationally representative population-based samples. While the results thus bolster confidence in the utility of convenience samples, we conclude with guidance for the use of a multitude of samples for advancing scientific knowledge.

scholarly journals A CASE STUDY OF ISLAMIC DACWAH ACTIVITIES IN CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, PHILIPPINES AMONG MUSLIM MINORITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-571
Author(s):  
Marlon Pontino Guleng ◽  
Razaleigh Muhamat Kawangit ◽  
Abur Hamdi Usman
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Muslim Society ◽  
Administrative Region ◽  
The Social ◽  
Muslim Minority ◽  
The Government ◽  
High Level

Purpose of the Study: The curves of Islamic dacwah activities in the Philippines have faced ebbs and flows due to various internal and external constraints. In Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), lots of responses had been received by the Islamic organization from the local Muslim societies on the dacwah activities which require further reform in a way of diversifying the dacwah efforts in the whole region. This research aims of identifying the response of Muslim society towards the Islamic dacwah activities in the Philippines. Methodology: In this study, quantitative methodology research was applied and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows version 21 with a total number of 272 respondents. Main Findings: The results showed the responses towards the Islamic dacwah activities in a Muslim society (mean=3.71); Muslim family and friends (mean=3.51) were at high level. However, findings regarding the responses from the government (mean=3.13) and non-Muslim society (mean=3.15) were at moderate level. Implications: The findings are essential for Islamic da’wah organizations to redesign and formulate various dacwah programs in order to ensure better implication on the societies.

scholarly journals Bayesian Rationality and Decision Making: A Critical Review

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Albert
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Bayesian Methods ◽  
World Wide ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
General Version ◽  
The Social ◽  
Choice Approach ◽  
Bayesian Rationality

AbstractBayesianism is the predominant philosophy of science in North-America, the most important school of statistics world-wide, and the general version of the rational-choice approach in the social sciences. Although often rejected as a theory of actual behavior, it is still the benchmark case of perfect rationality. The paper reviews the development of Bayesianism in philosophy, statistics and decision making and questions its status as an account of perfect rationality. Bayesians, who otherwise are squarely in the empiricist camp, invoke a priori reasoning when they recommend Bayesian methods - a recommendation that is not justified by their own standards.

scholarly journals Comparative views on research productivity differences between major social science fields in Vietnam: Structured data and Bayesian analysis, 2008-2018

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan-Hoang Vuong ◽  
Tung Manh Ho ◽  
Thu-Trang Vuong ◽  
Viet-Phuong La ◽  
Minh-Hoang Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Social Medicine ◽  
Total Output ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Major Social Science ◽  
High Level ◽  
Scientometric Study

Since Circular 34 from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam required the head of the national project to have project results published in ISI/Scopus journals in 2014, the field of economics has been dominating the number of nationally-funded projects in social sciences and humanities. However, there has been no scientometric study that focuses on the difference in productivity among fields in Vietnam. Thus, harnessing the power of the SSHPA database (http://sshpa.com/), a comprehensive dataset of 1,564 Vietnamese authors (854 males, 705 females) with 2,410 publications in the 2008 – 2018 period was extracted and analyzed. Various factors were considered including age, gender, new authors, leading authors, co-authorship, and Impact Factor. The findings suggest a high level of contribution from authors at the age of 40 – 44 in economics (858 publications) in a 12-years period, which is equivalent to the social medicine total output, and two times more than the total output of the education. Moreover, the presence and reinforcement of male researchers are still dominating in Economics and other fields, with the only exception of education. Despite the rapid rise in the number of Vietnamese lead authors, gender disparity among disciplines is an issue. Contrary to the strong international collaboration-oriented tendency in social medicine, economics, and other fields, educational authors are not open to international collaborating. Finally, most of the publications in economics belong to the group with JIF from 0 to 2, in contrast with the high number of social medicine publications with JIF from 2 to 5, which suggesting the field of economics is fulfilling the quantity, but still, need more quality publications.

scholarly journals Going across Europe for an apprenticeship? A factorial survey experiment on employers’ hiring preferences in Germany

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Protsch ◽  
Heike Solga
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
School To Work ◽  
Factorial Survey ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Apprenticeship Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
Policy Shift

Owing to the recent recession, the German apprenticeship model is once again praised for smoothing out school-to-work transitions. In line with the social policy shift of favouring education as a key means to combat youth unemployment, European Union (EU) recommendations and German national policies encourage young Southern and Eastern EU citizens to apply for apprenticeship training abroad. Yet, young people wanting to go abroad are not only mobile young people but also immigrants. Given the prevalence of ethnic disparities in the German apprenticeship system, the question arises whether employers would be willing to hire these newcomers. Using a factorial survey experiment, we investigate how employers rate applications from Spanish newcomers compared to those from young immigrant descendants of Spanish origin. The results indicate that newcomers are substantially less preferred than immigrant descendants born in Germany. Employers’ expectations about newcomers’ language skills and employers’ interest in training for their own skilled labour force are key barriers to policies promoting apprenticeships abroad.

scholarly journals Different Order, Different Results? The Effects of Dimension Order in Factorial Survey Experiments

Field Methods ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Düval ◽  
Thomas Hinz
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Experimental Setup ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Slight Tendency ◽  
Recency Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Order

Factorial surveys are widely used in the social sciences to measure respondents’ attitudes, beliefs, or behavioral intentions. In such surveys, respondents evaluate short descriptions of hypothetical situations, persons, or objects that vary across several dimensions. An important prerequisite of the method’s validity is that respondents are able to deal with the highly complex task created by the need to consider several variable dimensions within one coherent judgment. We analyze the effects of the order in which dimensions are presented in running text vignettes. An experimental setup with four order treatments was randomly allocated to 787 respondents (based on a random sample of register data), yielding 3,119 vignette evaluations. The analyses compare respondent groups across age, education, and response speed. Overall, there is no strong evidence for order effects. However, we find a slight tendency for fast responders to be more prone to recency effects.

scholarly journals Using Factorial Survey Experiments to Measure Attitudes, Social Norms, and Fairness Concerns in Developing Countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Liebe ◽  
Ismaïl M. Moumouni ◽  
Christine Bigler ◽  
Chantal Ingabire ◽  
Sabin Bieri
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Global South ◽  
Physical Punishment ◽  
Remote Area ◽  
Factorial Survey ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survey Experiments

Survey-based experimental methods are increasingly used in the social sciences to study, among others, attitudes, norms, and fairness judgments. One of these methods is the factorial survey experiment (FSE or vignette experiment) in which respondents are confronted with various descriptions of situations that differ in a discrete number of attributes (or factors), and they are asked to evaluate those situations according to criteria such as agreement, approval, and fairness. Due to the systematic experimental variation of the presented situations, an FSE can separate effects of single situational attributes, allowing the causal influence of relevant situational attributes to be determined. This is the key advantage over simple survey items. While most studies using FSEs are carried out in developed countries in which respondents are familiar with surveys, we add further evidence that this method can also unfold its power in a developing context. Building on previous applications of FSEs in Africa, we demonstrate the usefulness of this method in four novel studies on social norms regarding the physical punishment of children and the social approval of technology adoption in Benin as well as judgments of just earnings in Rwanda. We also test for the first time the applicability of multiple vignettes per respondents in a Global South/remote area context. The results of these studies are theoretically meaningful and the overwhelming majority of respondents discriminate between vignettes. This supports the validity of FSEs. However, conducting survey experiments in developing countries is different from similar experimental research in developed countries and, therefore, we also discuss some of these differences and corresponding challenges. Last but not least, our article shows, provided a few precautions are heeded, that FSEs could be used as a vehicle to innovate social science research in a Global South/remote area context.

scholarly journals INTERNET USAGE AMONG THE VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENT IN JOHOR TOWARDS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION INTEGRATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Noormalina Adenan ◽  
Yusmarwati Yusof
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
The Social ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
High Level ◽  
Student’S Attitude

This research to identify internet usage among the student in Kolej Vokasional. The finding will show internet usage among students during the learning process. The student has used the internet to gain their knowledge. In this research, 267 respondents among the Year 4 students in Kolej Vokasional Batu Pahat were chosen as the respondent. The questionnaire is used as an instrument while collecting the data. All the data have then been analyzing using “Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences 24,0 (SPSS)”. The validity and reliability value for the instrument is 0.938 alpha value. Then descriptive statistics analysis used and show the frequency and means of the data. The result shows that internet usage among the student are at a high level with total means 4.40. While using the internet, it helps the student gain new knowledge and the internet became the new communication medium for the student in sharing knowledge and information with their friends. The dominant factor that contributed to the internet usage is due to the student’s attitude. Highly motivated students are interested in using the internet in the learning process.

scholarly journals Shifting attention to accuracy can reduce misinformation online

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Pennycook ◽  
Ziv Epstein ◽  
Mohsen Mosleh ◽  
Antonio Alonso Arechar ◽  
Dean Eckles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Social ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Computational Analyses

Why do people share false and misleading news content on social media, and what can be done about it? In a first survey experiment (N=1,015), we demonstrate a disconnect between accuracy judgments and sharing intentions: Even though true headlines are rated as much more accurate than false headlines, headline veracity has little impact on sharing. Although this may seem to indicate that people share inaccurate content because, for example, they care more about furthering their political agenda than they care about truth, we propose an alternative attentional account: Most people do not want to spread misinformation, but the social media context focuses their attention on factors other than truth and accuracy. Indeed, when directly asked, most participants say it is important to only share news that is accurate. Accordingly, across four survey experiments (total N=3,485) and a digital field experiment on Twitter in which we messaged users who had previously shared news from websites known for publishing misleading content (N=5,379), we find that subtly inducing people to think about accuracy increases the quality of the news they subsequently share. These results, together with additional computational analyses, challenge the narrative that people no longer care about accuracy. Instead, the findings support our inattention-based account wherein people fail to implement their preference for accuracy due to attentional constraints – particularly on social media. Furthermore, our research provides evidence for scalable anti-misinformation interventions that are easily implementable by social media platforms.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document