Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Open-ended versus Closed Probes

Assessing Different Formats of Web Probing

Bibliographic Data

ID2331069
AuthorsCornelia E Neuert (0000-0001-9855-5618, GESIS—Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072 Mannheim, Germany, corresponding author), Katharina Meitinger (0000-0001-8160-556X, Utrecht University, the Netherlands), Dorothée Behr (0000-0002-2653-0531, GESIS—Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072 Mannheim, Germany)
Year2023
Volume52
Issue4
Pages1981-2015
Publication date2023-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Methods & Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0049-1241 • E-ISSN: 1552-8294
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00491241211031271
OpenAlexW3184916581
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited31

The method of web probing integrates cognitive interviewing techniques into web surveys and is increasingly used to evaluate survey questions. In a usual web probing scenario, probes are administered immediately after the question to be tested (concurrent probing), typically as open-ended questions. A second possibility of administering probes is in a closed format, whereby the response categories for the closed probes are developed during previously conducted qualitative cognitive interviews. Using closed probes has several benefits, such as reduced costs and time efficiency, because this method does not require manual coding of open-ended responses. In this article, we investigate whether the insights gained into item functioning when implementing closed probes are comparable to the insights gained when asking open-ended probes and whether closed probes are equally suitable to capture the cognitive processes for which traditionally open-ended probes are intended. The findings reveal statistically significant differences with regard to the variety of themes, the patterns of interpretation, the number of themes per respondent, and nonresponse. No differences in number of themes across formats by sex and educational level were found

Coding (social sciences) · Cognition · Cognitive interview · Cognitive psychology · Interpretation (philosophy) · Interview · Respondent · Sociology · Statistics · Variety (cybernetics) · Web application · World Wide Web · Applied Psychology · Artificial Intelligence · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Computer Science · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Survey Methodology and Nonresponse

  • Do emotions affect political trust judgments?

    Open Access•Camille Landesvatter, Paul C Bauer•European Journal of Political…•2026

  • Measurement invariance in the social sciences

    Open Access•Heinz Leitgöb, Daniel Seddig et al.•Social Science Research•2023

  • Enhancing primary teachers’ formative assessment literacy

    Open Access•Selin S Oeksuez, Alois Buholzer et al.•Teaching and Teacher Education•2026

  • An experimental test of the effectiveness of cognitive interviewing in pretesting questionnaires

    Open Access•Timo Lenzner, Patricia Hadler et al.•Quality & Quantity•2023

  • “I have to pick a percentage now”

    Open Access•Ken Cai Kowalski, Andrew J Perrin•Quality & Quantity•2024

  • Assessing conceptual comparability of single-item survey instruments with a mixed-methods approach

    Open Access•Ranjit K Singh, Cornelia E Neuert et al.•Quality & Quantity•2024

  • An empirical evaluation of probing questions investigating question comprehensibility in web surveys

    Open Access•Cornelia E Neuert, Tanja Kunz et al.•International Journal of Social…•2024

  • Semi-Automated Nonresponse Detection for Open-Text Survey Data

    Open Access•Kristen Cibelli Hibben, Zachary R Smith et al.•Social Science Computer Review•2024

  • How to Design, Implement, and Analyse a Survey

    Open Access•Anthony Arundel•How to Design, Implement, and…•2023

  • Combining numbers and perspectives

    Open Access•David Meechan•Methodological Innovations•2026

  • How Valid Are Trust Survey Measures? New Insights From Open-Ended Probing Data and Supervised Machine Learning

    Open Access•Camille Landesvatter, Paul C Bauer•Sociological Methods & Research•2025

  • The Effects of Open-Ended Probes on Closed Survey Questions in Web Surveys

    Open Access•Patricia Hadler•Sociological Methods & Research•2025

  • Cognitive Interviewing

    Gordon Willis•Cognitive Interviewing•2005

  • Survey Questions

    Jean M Converse, Jean Converse et al.•Survey Questions•1986

  • Social and Behavioral Research and the Internet

    Marcel Das, Peter Ester et al.•Social and Behavioral Research…•2018

  • How participants report their health status

    Open Access•Dana Garbarski, Jennifer Dykema et al.•BMC Public Health•2017

  • Evaluating political parties

    Konstantin Gavras, Jan Karem Höhne•International Journal of Social…•2020

  • The Length of Responses to Open-Ended Questions

    Open Access•Martyn Denscombe•Social Science Computer Review•2007

  • Web Surveys

    Open Access•Scott Crawford, Scott D Crawford et al.•Social Science Computer Review•2001

  • Testing the Use of Voice Input in a Smartphone Web Survey

    Open Access•Melanie Revilla, Mick P Couper et al.•Social Science Computer Review•2018

  • Cognitive Probes in Web Surveys

    Open Access•Dorothée Behr, Wolfgang Bandilla et al.•Social Science Computer Review•2013

  • The Influence of Topic Interest and Interactive Probing on Responses to Open-Ended Questions in Web Surveys

    Open Access•Jennifer L Holland, Leah Melani Christian et al.•Social Science Computer Review•2008

  • Item non-response in open-ended questions

    Open Access•Evi Scholz, Cornelia Zuell•Social Science Research•2012

  • The Effects of Embedding Closed-ended Cognitive Probes in a Web Survey on Survey Response

    Open Access•Paul J Scanlon•CAM•2019

  • Computing Response Metrics for Online Panels

    Mario Callegaro, Charles Disogra•Public Opinion Quarterly•2008

  • Open-Ended Questions in Web Surveys

    Jolene D Smyth, Don A Dillman et al.•Public Opinion Quarterly•2009

  • Necessary but Insufficient

    Open Access•Katharina Meitinger•Public Opinion Quarterly•2017

  • Do Open-Ended Questions Measure "Salient" Issues

    John G Geer•Public Opinion Quarterly•1991

  • Self-reports

    Norbert Schwarz•American Psychologist•1999

  • Research Synthesis

    Phillip Beatty, P C Beatty et al.•Public Opinion Quarterly•2007

  • The Random Probe

    Howard Schuman•American Sociological Review•1966

  • The Open and Closed Question

    Howard Schuman, Stanley Presser•American Sociological Review•1979

  • Comparing Traditional and Crowdsourcing Methods for Pretesting Survey Questions

    Open Access•Jennifer Edgar, Joe Murphy et al.•SAGE Open•2016

  • Exploring Mental Models behind Self-rated Health and Subjective Life Expectancy through Web Probing

    Open Access•Sung-Hee Lee, Sunghee Lee et al.•CAM•2020

  • Comparing Cognitive Interviewing and Online Probing

    Open Access•Katharina Meitinger, Dorothée Behr•CAM•2016

  • How Many Interviews Are Enough

    Open Access•Greg Guest, Arwen Bunce et al.•CAM•2006

  • An Empirical Evaluation of In-Depth Probes Used to Pretest Survey Questions

    Open Access•William Foddy•Sociological Methods & Research•1998

Unique citing works12
Citations per year4
Citation span2023 - 2026 (4)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 10
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae