scholarly journals Sensitive attitudes and adherence to recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparing direct and indirect questioning techniques

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabea Kaufmann ◽  
Lau Lilleholt ◽  
Robert Böhm ◽  
Ingo Zettler ◽  
Daniel W. Heck
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Questioning Techniques ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Crosswise Model ◽  
Hexaco Model

During the COVID-19 pandemic, different behavioral measures were imposed to curb the spread of the virus. In a pre-registered study based on a quota-representative sample of adult Danish citizens (N = 1,031), we compared the prevalence estimates of self-reported handwashing, physical distancing, and attitudes towards the behavioral measures between people surveyed with a direct and an indirect questioning approach (i.e., the crosswise model). Moreover, we investigated two possible predictors for the sensitive attributes, namely (1) empathy for people vulnerable to the virus and (2) Honesty-Humility from the HEXACO Model of Personality. We also examined the interaction of both predictors with the questioning format. Results indicate that participants reported greater adherence to handwashing and physical distancing guidelines when asked directly rather than when asked indirectly. The overall attitudes regarding the behavioral measures did not differ between the questioning formats. Furthermore, empathy for people vulnerable to COVID-19 was negatively linked to nonadherence regarding handwashing and physical distancing, whereas Honesty-Humility was negatively linked to nonadherence regarding physical distancing.

Plagiarism in Student Papers: Prevalence Estimates Using Special Techniques for Sensitive Questions

2011 ◽  
Vol 231 (5-6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabethen Coutts ◽  
Ben Jann ◽  
Ivar Krumpal ◽  
Anatol-Fiete Näher
Keyword(s):  
Potential Problem ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Randomized Response ◽  
Web Surveys ◽  
Questioning Techniques ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Crosswise Model ◽  
Sensitive Behavior

SummaryThis article evaluates three different questioning techniques for measuring the prevalence of plagiarism in student papers: the randomized response technique (RRT), the item count technique (ICT), and the crosswise model (CM). In three independent experimental surveys with Swiss and German university students as subjects (two web surveys and a survey using paper and- pencil questionnaires in a classroom setting), each of the three techniques is compared to direct questioning and evaluated based on the “more-is-better” assumption. According to our results the RRT and the ICT failed to reduce social desirability bias in self-reports of plagiarism. In contrast, the CM was more successful in eliciting a significantly higher rate of reported sensitive behavior than direct questioning. One reason for the success of the CM, we believe, is that it overcomes the “self-protective no” bias known from the RRT (and which may also be a potential problem in the ICT).We find rates of up to 22 percent of students who declared that they ever intentionally adopted a passage from someone else’s work without citing it. Severe plagiarism such as handing in someone else’s paper as one’s own, however, seems to be less frequent with rates of about 1 to 2 percent.

scholarly journals Nothing but the truth? Effects of faking on the validity of the crosswise model

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258603
Author(s):  
Adrian Hoffmann ◽  
Julia Meisters ◽  
Jochen Musch
Keyword(s):  
Road Traffic ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Direct Question ◽  
Questioning Techniques ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Personal Attitudes ◽  
Fake Good ◽  
Crosswise Model ◽  
Sensitive Issues ◽  
Traffic Behavior

In self-reports, socially desirable responding threatens the validity of prevalence estimates for sensitive personal attitudes and behaviors. Indirect questioning techniques such as the crosswise model attempt to control for the influence of social desirability bias. The crosswise model has repeatedly been found to provide more valid prevalence estimates than direct questions. We investigated whether crosswise model estimates are also less susceptible to deliberate faking than direct questions. To this end, we investigated the effect of “fake good” instructions on responses to direct and crosswise model questions. In a sample of 1,946 university students, 12-month prevalence estimates for a sensitive road traffic behavior were higher and thus presumably more valid in the crosswise model than in a direct question. Moreover, “fake good” instructions severely impaired the validity of the direct questioning estimates, whereas the crosswise model estimates were unaffected by deliberate faking. Participants also reported higher levels of perceived confidentiality and a lower perceived ease of faking in the crosswise model compared to direct questions. Our results corroborate previous studies finding the crosswise model to be an effective tool for counteracting the detrimental effects of positive self-presentation in surveys on sensitive issues.

scholarly journals Uncovering prevalence of pangolin consumption using a technique for investigating sensitive behaviour

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Alegria Olmedo ◽  
Diogo Veríssimo ◽  
E.J. Milner-Gulland ◽  
Amy Hinsley ◽  
Huong Thi Thu Dao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Ho Chi Minh City ◽  
Viet Nam ◽  
Rice Wine ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Local Use ◽  
Estimate Prevalence

Abstract Pangolins have been exploited throughout history but evidence points to population declines across parts of their ranges since the 1960s, especially in Asia. This is the result of overexploitation for local use and international trade and trafficking of their derivatives. The prevalence of the consumption of pangolin products has been estimated for different localities in Viet Nam but, considering that national legislation prohibits the purchase of pangolin products, previous research has not accounted for the potential for biased responses. In this study, we treat pangolin consumption as a sensitive behaviour and estimate consumption prevalence of pangolin meat, scales and wine (a whole pangolin or pangolin parts or fluids soaked or mixed in rice wine) in Ho Chi Minh City using a specialized questioning method, the unmatched count technique. We also characterize the demographics of consumers. Our results suggest there is active consumption of all three pangolin products, with a best-estimate prevalence of 7% of a representative sample of Ho Chi Minh City residents for pangolin meat, 10% for scales and 6% for wine. Our prevalence estimates exceed estimates from direct questions, providing evidence for the sensitivity of pangolin consumption. We compared our analysis of consumer characteristics with existing profiles of pangolin consumers and found substantial differences, suggesting that consumption occurs among broader demographic groups than previously described. Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce demand for pangolin consumption in Viet Nam should focus on a broader range of consumers than previously identified.

scholarly journals Do they really wash their hands? Prevalence estimates for personal hygiene behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic based on indirect questions

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Mieth ◽  
Maike M. Mayer ◽  
Adrian Hoffmann ◽  
Axel Buchner ◽  
Raoul Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Crosswise Model

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, billions of people have to change their behaviours to slow down the spreading of the virus. Protective measures include self-isolation, social (physical) distancing and compliance with personal hygiene rules, particularly regular and thorough hand washing. Prevalence estimates for the compliance with the COVID-19 measures are often based on direct self-reports. However, during a health crisis there is strong public pressure to comply with health and safety regulations so that people’s responding in direct self-reports may be seriously compromised by social desirability. Methods In an online survey, an indirect questioning technique was used to test whether the prevalence of hygiene practices may be lower than in conventional surveys when confidentiality of responding is guaranteed. The Extended Crosswise Model is an indirect questioning technique that guarantees the confidentiality of responding. To the degree that direct self-reports are biased by social desirability, prevalence estimates of hygiene practices such as thorough hand washing based on the Extended Crosswise Model should be lower than those based on direct self-reports. Results We analysed data of 1434 participants. In the direct questioning group 94.5% of the participants claimed to practice proper hand hygiene; in the indirect questioning group a significantly lower estimate of only 78.1% was observed. Conclusions These results indicate that estimates of the degree of commitment to measures designed to counter the spread of the disease may be significantly inflated by social desirability in direct self-reports. Indirect questioning techniques with higher levels of confidentiality seem helpful in obtaining more realistic estimates of the degree to which people follow the recommended personal hygiene measures. More realistic estimates of compliance can help to inform and to adjust public information campaigns on COVID-19 hygiene recommendations.

Comparing Sexual Assault Prevalence Estimates Obtained With Direct and Indirect Questioning Techniques

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Krebs ◽  
Christine H. Lindquist ◽  
Tara D. Warner ◽  
Bonnie S. Fisher ◽  
Sandra L. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Questioning Techniques ◽  
Prevalence Estimates

When to Protect? Using the Crosswise Model to Integrate Protected and Direct Responses in Surveys of Sensitive Behavior

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Gingerich ◽  
Virginia Oliveros ◽  
Ana Corbacho ◽  
Mauricio Ruiz-Vega
Keyword(s):  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Extended Form ◽  
Survey Techniques ◽  
Statistical Framework ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Efficient Estimate ◽  
Crosswise Model ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Sensitive Behavior

Sensitive survey techniques (SSTs) are frequently used to study sensitive behaviors. However, existing strategies for employing SSTs lead to highly variable prevalence estimates and do not permit analysts to address the question of whether the use of an SST is actually necessary. The current article presents a survey questioning strategy and corresponding statistical framework that fills this gap. By jointly analyzing survey responses generated by an SST (the crosswise model) along with direct responses about the sensitive behavior, the article's framework addresses the question of whether the use of an SST is required to study a given sensitive behavior, provides an efficient estimate of the prevalence of the sensitive behavior, and, in its extended form, efficiently estimates how individual characteristics relate to the likelihood of engaging in the behavior. The utility of the approach is demonstrated through an examination of gender differences in proclivities towards corruption in Costa Rica.

scholarly journals Controlling social desirability bias: An experimental investigation of the extended crosswise model

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Meisters ◽  
Adrian Hoffmann ◽  
Jochen Musch
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Personal Attributes ◽  
Direct Question ◽  
Questioning Techniques ◽  
Careless Responding ◽  
Sensitive Attribute ◽  
Systematic Response ◽  
Crosswise Model ◽  
Response Biases

Indirect questioning techniques such as the crosswise model aim to control for socially desirable responding in surveys on sensitive personal attributes. Recently, the extended crosswise model has been proposed as an improvement over the original crosswise model. It offers all of the advantages of the original crosswise model while also enabling the detection of systematic response biases. We applied the extended crosswise model to a new sensitive attribute, campus islamophobia, and present the first experimental investigation including an extended crosswise model, and a direct questioning control condition, respectively. In a paper-pencil questionnaire, we surveyed 1,361 German university students using either a direct question or the extended crosswise model. We found that the extended crosswise model provided a good model fit, indicating no systematic response bias and allowing for a pooling of the data of both groups of the extended crosswise model. Moreover, the extended crosswise model yielded significantly higher estimates of campus Islamophobia than a direct question. This result could either indicate that the extended crosswise model was successful in controlling for social desirability, or that response biases such as false positives or careless responding have inflated the estimate, which cannot be decided on the basis of the available data. Our findings highlight the importance of detecting response biases in surveys implementing indirect questioning techniques.

scholarly journals A fine balance: specialized questioning techniques and their use in conservation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacopo Cerri ◽  
Elizabeth Davis ◽  
Diogo Veríssimo ◽  
Jenny Anne Glikman
Keyword(s):  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Randomized Response ◽  
Privacy By Design ◽  
Questioning Techniques ◽  
Legal Sanctions ◽  
Pair Method ◽  
List Method ◽  
Box Method ◽  
Crosswise Model ◽  
Triangular Model

Conservationists measuring noncompliance with rules about the exploitation of natural resources often need to ask sensitive questions. However, respondents can introduce bias through distorting their answers to direct questions, due to social norms and/or the risk of legal sanctions. Specialized Questioning Techniques (SQTs) are often a more suitable approach to counteracting respondent bias, as they encourage honest answering by protecting respondent’s privacy by design. This study aims to provide a complete overview of the main SQTs, as well as about their most recent advances.We performed a scoping review of existing SQTs, starting from those covered in Nuno and St. John (2015). We included techniques that have never been explained to conservationists before, and/or that were invented after 2015, or which had advanced and improved since Nuno and St. John (2015).Our review identified 9 different broad types of SQTs, defined according to their practical implementation. We found 18 new versions of the randomized response technique, the unmatched count technique, the item sum technique, the triangular model and the crosswise model. We also discuss endorsement experiments and the ballot box method, which have not been covered in a review for the benefit of conservationists. Finally, we found four new SQTs: the parallel model, the pair method, the list method and the person count technique. Each technique is explained with real, or hypothetical, examples and discussed in its advantages and limitations.SQTs have undergone an impressive development over the last few years, and many different techniques are available to elicit sensitive behaviors with implications for conservation. This research offers a summary to conservationists and practitioners who want to understand SQTs and integrate them in their work, which should be a priority for those studying sensitive behaviors with implications for conservation.

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