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A Meta-analysis of the Relative Effectiveness of the Item Count Technique Compared to Direct Questioning

Bibliographic Data

ID2330998
AuthorsJiayuan Li (0000-0003-4743-2479, South China University of Technology, corresponding author), Wim Van Den Noortgate (0000-0003-4011-219X, KU Leuven)
Year2022
Volume51
Issue2
Pages760-799
Publication date2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Methods & Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0049-1241 • E-ISSN: 1552-8294
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0049124119882468
OpenAlexW2994653774
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited70

This article presents an updated meta-analysis of survey experiments comparing the performance of the item count technique (ICT) and the direct questioning method. After synthesizing 246 effect sizes from 54 studies, we find that the probability that a sensitive item will be selected is .089 higher when using ICT compared to direct questioning. In recognition of the heterogeneity across studies, we seek to explain this variation by means of moderator analyses. We find that the relative effectiveness of ICT is moderated by cultural orientation in the context in which ICT is conducted (collectivism vs. individualism), the valence of topics involved in the applications (socially desirable vs. socially undesirable), and the number of nonkey items. In the Discussion section, we elaborate on the methodological implications of the main findings

Collectivism · Context (archaeology) · Individualism · Information and Communications Technology · Meta-analysis · Moderation · Political science · Social desirability · Social desirability bias · Statistics · Computer Science · Mathematics · Psychology · Social Psychology · Survey Methodology and Nonresponse · Survey Sampling and Estimation Techniques

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Unique citing works20
Citations per year3,33
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 18
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