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Project Overview

This project involves building a new questionnaire measure using Qualtrics to test a novel and hypothetical psychological construct : Décor Addiction.

Conceptualization of the Psychological Construct

I started this project by conceptualizing a unique psychological construct based on confluence of societal trends, cultural influences, and individual behaviors in the modern era. Forming a clear understanding of the construct served as the foundation for designing this questionnaire.

Questionnaire Design

I chose to use a 5-point Likert scale for this construct as it provides respondents with a manageable number of options to choose from, striking a balance between granularity and simplicity. It also facilitates straightforward statistical analysis of data as responses can be easily converted into numerical values for analysis allowing for a quantitative assessment.

Regarding the types of questions chosen, several principles of item construction were adhered to:

1. Avoidance of Double-Barreled Questions: Double-barreled questions, where multiple issues are addressed in a single item, can lead to confusion and ambiguity in respondents' interpretation. To prevent this, each question focused on a single aspect of the construct, ensuring clarity and specificity.
2. Inclusion of Reverse Items: Reverse items were incorporated to mitigate response bias and ensure the reliability of the data. By phrasing some statements in the opposite direction of the construct being measured, respondents are encouraged to carefully consider their responses rather than simply selecting the same response option throughout.
3. Balanced Statement Construction: Care was taken to ensure that the statements presented in the survey were balanced in terms of positively and negatively worded items. This helps prevent acquiescence bias, where respondents tend to agree with all statements regardless of their content, by encouraging thoughtful consideration of each statement.
4. Clarity and Simplicity: All questions were formulated using clear and concise language to minimize ambiguity and ensure respondents' understanding. Complex, convoluted and doubly negated wording was avoided to facilitate accurate interpretation of the items.

By adhering to these principles of survey design and item construction, the questionnaire was crafted to effectively measure the construct of Décor Addiction while minimizing response bias and maximizing the reliability of the survey data.

Questionnaire Development

In constructing the questionnaire, I utilized the Qualtrics platform, employing a matrix table format for data collection. This choice allowed for a streamlined presentation of questions, enhancing respondent engagement and ease of completion. Additionally, I incorporated randomization techniques to mitigate order effects, ensuring that the sequence of items was varied for each participant. By employing these strategies, I aimed to optimize the survey design for reliability and validity, ultimately facilitating robust data collection and analysis.

Key Learnings:

Through this project, I have honed my skills in questionnaire design gaining valuable insights into the intricacies of psychological measurement. I also enhanced my proficiency in crafting surveys that yield reliable and valid data by adhering to the survey design principles. In addition, utilizing the Qualtrics platform provided me with hands-on experience in leveraging technological tools for research purposes.