Resources

This page includes links that you will need to complete course assignments, as well as links that supplement the material discussed in class. Clicking on most of these links will open a new browser window on your computer desktop. If you click a link and nothing seems to happen, check to see whether the target page has opened in a separate browser window.

Most handouts distributed in class are posted to this web site in Adobe Acrobat format. If you don't already have version 5 of the Adobe Acrobat reader, you should download and install it on your computer in order to take advantage of this web site.

You can get the latest version of the reader free of charge from the Adobe web site.
 

The following links provide general information for students in UCD courses.

• Like all other courses and activities, this course follows the UCD Principles of Community.
   
• University policies about ethical practices and misconduct

• LexisNexis Academic Universe database
  [From off-campus connections, log in to your MyUCDavis page and check that you have configured your browser to use the UCD proxy server]
   
• Help with configuring your browser to use the library's proxy server to access library databases from off-campus
   
• Download the Adobe Acrobat reader.
   

Once you have installed the Acrobat Reader, you can download course materials by clicking on the links below.

• Course syllabus (Acrobat format)
   
• Reading Assignments, Weeks 1-5 (Acrobat format)
   
• Term Project and Homework Assignments (Acrobat format)
   
• Example of SAQ objectives (Acrobat format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Optional template for Assignment #2 (MS Word format)

The Psychology of Survey and Questionnaire Response: Cognitive, Motivational, and Social Processes

• Lecture outline (PDF format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Assigned Readings (for October 4)
  • Dillman, Chapter 1.
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapters 1-2.
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings
   

Asking Questions I: Objective Phenomena

• Lecture outline (PDF format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Assigned Readings (for October 9)
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapters 3-5.
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings
   
• SAQ Project
   
  • Assignment #1 (SAQ objectives) due on October 9. (An example of a list of SAQ objectives can be downloaded.)
    [Requires Course Password]
     
  • Assignment #2 (Roper Center database) due on October 11.
     
  • Link to the Roper Center database (off-campus access requires log-on and UCD proxy server)
     
  • Optional template for Assignment #2 (MS Word format)
     
  • List of partners for class critiques.
    [Requires Course Password]
     
  • Assignment #3 (Questions about objective phenomena and demographic items) must be e-mailed to your partner by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 13.
     
  • Suggested questions for evaluating items about objective phenomena.
    [Requires Course Password]
     
  • Links to demographic (and other items) from the General Social Survey (GSS) via the UC Berkeley SDA Archive

Evaluations of Assigment #3

• Assigned Readings (for October 16)
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapters 6-7.
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings
   
• SAQ Project
  • Suggested questions for evaluating Assignment #3 (PDF format)
     

Asking Questions II: Subjective Phenomena

• Lecture outline (PDF format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Assigned Readings (for October 23)
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapters 6-7.
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings
   
• SAQ Project
  • Assigment #4 (Questions about subjective phenomena) should be e-mailed to your partner by 5:00 pm on Monday, October 30.
     
  • List of partners for class critiques.
    [Requires Course Password]
     
  • Suggested questions for evaluating Assignment #4 (PDF format)
    [Requires Course Password]
     

Asking Questions II (continued); Evaluations of Assignment #4

• Assigned Reading (for October 30)
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapter 8.
  • Dillman, Chapters 2, 3.

Layout and Design of Self-Administered Questionnaires

• Lecture outline (PDF format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Assigned Reading (for November 8)
  • Dillman, Chapter 3, Appendix (pp. 462-497).
     
• Relevant Links
  • Samples of 2004 national exit poll forms
     
  • Papers by Professor Don Dillman.
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings
   
• SAQ Project
  • Assignment #5 (Formatted SAQ, Version #1) should be e-mailed to your partner by 5:00 pm on Monday, November 13.
     
  • List of partners for class critiques.
    [Requires Course Password]
     
  • Suggested questions for evaluating Assignment #4 (PDF format)
    [Requires Course Password]
     

Questions about Sensitive Topics; Ethical Issues; Evaluations of Assignment #5

• Lecture outline (PDF format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Assigned Readings (for November 13-15)
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapters 9-10.
     
  • AAPOR Statement on Best Practices for Survey and Public Opinion Research
     
  • AAPOR Statement on Protection of Human Participants in Survey Research
     
  • AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices
     
  • Sources of Variation in Published Election Polls: A Primer, by Cliff Zukin.
     
• Relevant Links
  • Website for the Implicit Association Test (IAT)
     
  • Information about Certificates of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings

No class meeting on Wednesday, November 22.

Evaluations of Assignment #5 (continued)

• Wednesday, November 22, is reserved for independent work on your SAQ, based on the comments you received in class (no class meeting).
   

Pre-testing Questionnaires; Additional Sources of Survey Error; Web Surveys

• Lecture outline (PDF format)
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Web Survey Resources
• Demonstration Web Survey
  [Requires Course Password]
   
• Polling Point
   
• Survey Monkey
  • Sample survey on Survey Monkey
  
   
• Assigned Readings (for November 27)
  • Dillman, Chapters 4-5, 11, Appendix (pp. 447-461).
     
  • Recommended: AAPOR's Standards for Calculating Outcome Rates for Surveys
     
• Optional Supplementary Readings
   
• SAQ Project
  • Assignment #6 (Formatted SAQ, "Final" Version) should be e-mailed to your partner by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 1.
     
  • List of partners for class critiques.
    [Requires Course Password]
     

Final Project Presentations and Critiques

• Assigned Readings (for December 6)
  • Tourangeau et al., Chapter 11.
     
  • Dillman, Chapter 12.
     
• SAQ Project
  • Final Assignment (final version of SAQ, 2 copies) must be submitted to Professor Herek by noon on Wednesday, December 13. If you want Prof. Herek to return a copy to you with comments, please include a self-addressed envelope.

Sources for Additional Information about Survey and Questionnaire Research

These links will open in a new window of your browser.
 

Contact Prof. Herek

• The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR)
   
• Public Opinion Quarterly electronic edition
   
• JSTOR archives (includes past issues of Public Opinion Quarterly and many sociological journals)
   
• Pew Research Center for People and the Press
   
• U.S Census Bureau
   
• U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics
   
• National Center for Health Statistics
   
• Data Archives
   
  • Archived data available through the UCD Institute of Governmental Affairs
     
  • Data Archive of the Survey Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
     
  • General Social Survey resources developed at Queens College
     
  • National Opinion Research (NORC) Center GSS page
     
  • American National Election Studies (ANES)
     
  • Pew Research Center poll archives
     
• Collections of Relevant Links
   
  • National Council on Public Polls Links Page
     
• Polling Links
   
  • Polling Report. An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion.
  • Survey USA (state and local election polls)
  • Mason-Dixon Poll
  • Los Angeles Times Poll
  • Zogby Poll
  • The Gallup Poll
  • Public Opinion Polls sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation.