Exploring the Mind of the Interviewer: Findings from Research with Interviewers to Improve the Survey Process

The interviewers’ task in the data collection process is a complex one, with many judgments and decisions being made from moment to moment as they ask questions to get answers from respondents (Japec, 2008). Many survey organizations train their interviewers to use standardized language and read questions verbatim. However, in practice, interviewers may need to use a conversational approach and probe respondents to get the answers needed. This research explores the process by which interviewers make such decisions in real-time by conducting research with interviewers about their experiences collecting data. Using a cognitive interview approach, we asked interviewers about multiple aspects of the survey process, including how they handle asking and probing about sensitive or difficult-to-answer questions, how they decide to probe further versus accept an answer as-is, and when they decide to use lead-ins to questions such as apologizing or distancing themselves from the survey. We also had interviewers provide feedback on hypothetical vignettes (varying in their level of sensitivity and difficulty) that closely mimicked interviewer-respondent interactions they might experience in the field. We conducted a total of 27 semi-structured cognitive interviews with survey interviewers from a federal statistical agency. The interviewers had a wide range of experience interviewing at their agency, from under one year to over 15 years, and across multiple survey topics, including employment, health, housing, crime, and expenditures. Two researchers conducted the interviews, three of which were conducted in person and 24 by telephone, each lasting approximately 60 minutes. Major themes that emerged during the interviews were coded and analyzed by the researchers. For instance, we categorized the reasons respondents find questions sensitive or difficult to answer (e.g., invasive questions, recall problems, privacy concerns). We also identified themes and coded the types of question lead-ins interviewers reported using to address sensitive or difficult questions (e.g., distancing, apologizing, and repeating the question). We also provide qualitative analysis and descriptions of emergent probes and other techniques interviewers reported using to help with the survey process, such as reminding respondents of the confidentiality of their responses, the importance of their data, the ability to skip a question, and how interviewers go about deciding whether to probe further or accept a response. We also found evidence that interviewers sometimes experience sensitivity or discomfort themselves when asking respondents about sensitive topics, and strategies they have identified to overcome those challenges. Finally, we will report on the interviewers’ reactions to hypothetical vignettes depicting interviewer-respondent interactions and provide analyses about how interviewers handle these situations, as well as their ratings of how sensitive or difficult these survey questions would be for them to administer and for respondents to answer in the field. Learning directly from interviewers about how they think through an interview and what obstacles they face is a critical step in beginning to understand how to develop realistic data collection decisions, and improve training and support for interviewers. We will discuss the results of these interviews and their implications for improving the survey process

A mammalian Wnt5a-Ror2-Vangl2 axis controls the cytoskeleton and confers cellular properties required for alveologenesis.

Alveolar formation increases the surface area for gas-exchange and is key to the physiological function of the lung. Alveolar epithelial cells, myofibroblasts and endothelial cells undergo coordinated morphogenesis to generate epithelial folds (secondary septa) to form alveoli. A mechanistic understanding of alveologenesis remains incomplete. We found that the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is required in alveolar epithelial cells and myofibroblasts for alveologenesis in mammals. Our studies uncovered a Wnt5a-Ror2-Vangl2 cascade that endows cellular properties and novel mechanisms of alveologenesis. This includes PDGF secretion from alveolar type I and type II cells, cell shape changes of type I cells and migration of myofibroblasts. All these cellular properties are conferred by changes in the cytoskeleton and represent a new facet of PCP function. These results extend our current model of PCP signaling from polarizing a field of epithelial cells to conferring new properties at subcellular levels to regulate collective cell behavior

functionalized zno microbelt as improved co sensor

Abstract Miniaturized gas sensors are increasingly important to monitor the quality of air in a wide range of human environments. Semiconductor metal oxides have proved to be a useful family of materials, in this direction. Unfortunately, metal oxide sensors need a high temperature to respond to any target gas. In order to work around this limit, we fabricate hybrid sensors consisting in single zinc oxide microbelts decorated with organic molecules. Fluorinated tetraphenylporphyrin (H 2 TTPF) is deposited via supersonic molecular beam and considerably improve the performance of the microsensor. The microdevice is investigated with XRD, SEM and AFM techniques. While the as-is ZnO microbelt shows no response up to 150°C, the H 2 TTPF decorated microsensor shows a clear and quick response even at 75°C

Exploring the Impact of Interviewer Perceptions and Interviewer-Respondent Interactions on the Survey of Income and Program Participation: Analysis of CARI recordings

Interviewers play a significant role in telephone and face-to-face interviews, including gaining respondent cooperation and administering survey questions. Increasingly, interviewers’ perceptions of the respondent and interview experience, such as cooperativeness and interest, are also being used to assess measurement error and make adjustments to data (West, 2013; Kirchner et al., 2017). Although interviewer perceptions are typically recorded at the end of the interview, interviewers are likely to begin forming perceptions about the household and respondent based on their first contact attempt (and continue developing them during the interview). We hypothesize that interview context factors, such as interviewer perceptions of the physical interview environment and the respondent’s reluctance, may interact with question characteristics, such as sensitivity and cognitive burden, to influence interviewer-respondent interactions. One survey that may be particularly impacted by context factors is the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The SIPP is a multi-wave household survey that asks questions about economic well-being, family dynamics, and housing security, among other sensitive and cognitively burdensome topics. SIPP interviewers receive standardized training but they also implement individual strategies as they react to the questionnaire, respondent, and interview context. For example, interviewers may anticipate that some respondents will react sensitively to interview questions and proactively tailor questions to reduce sensitivity. The criteria that interviewers use to make these judgments may vary, resulting in differences in question-asking and probing behavior that may ultimately affect response distributions and respondent burden in unexpected ways. The purpose of the present study was to develop a framework of the interviewer-respondent interaction from the interviewer’s perspective. A primary goal was to investigate whether an interviewer’s question-asking or probing behavior differs between contexts that are sensitive or burdensome (e.g., sensitive and non-sensitive questions; reluctant and non-reluctant respondents). In addition, we identify the interviewer behaviors that appear to reduce respondent behaviors associated with measurement error. To do this, we combined several data sources from the 2014 SIPP Panel: computer audio-recorded interviewing (CARI) recordings, interviewer perceptions of the physical interview environment (Neighborhood Observation Instrument, NOI) and of respondent behaviors during contact attempts (Contact History Instrument, CHI), SIPP data including responses to survey questions and demographics, and interviewer characteristics. Three researchers independently transcribed and coded audio recordings of the full interaction for a sample of the targeted questions. Behavior codes included: whether the interviewer changed the survey question and what type of change was made (e.g., tailored the question to match the respondent’s situation), how the interviewer reacted to responses (used a suggestive probe); whether the respondent did not give a codeable response (a vague answer that does not unambiguously match a response option); and other codes that describe the interaction (pauses, interruptions). We plan to present descriptive analyses of interviewer and respondent behaviors, as well as modeling results that examine the extent to which (a) selected interview context factors predict interviewer behavior and (b) interviewing strategies predict response and interview outcomes. Implications for data quality, interviewer training, questionnaire design, and survey methods in general will be discussed

Control of Barents Sea wintertime cyclone variability by large-scale atmospheric flow

Extratropical cyclones transport heat and moisture into the Arctic, which can promote surface warming and sea ice melt. We investigate wintertime cyclone variability in the Barents Sea region to understand what controls the impacts, frequency, and path of cyclones at high latitudes. Large‐scale atmospheric conditions are found to be key, with the strongest surface warming from cyclones originating south of 60°N in the North Atlantic and steered northeastward by the upper‐level flow. Atmospheric conditions also control cyclone variability in the Barents proper: Months with many cyclones are characterized by an absence of high‐latitude blocking and enhanced local baroclinicity, due to the presence of strong upper‐level winds and a southwest‐northeast tilted jet stream more than changes in sea ice. This study confirms that Arctic cyclones exhibit large interannual variability, and accounting for this variability reveals that trends in Barents cyclone frequency are not robust over the 1979–2018 period.publishedVersio

The Effects of Machine-Weight and Free-Weight Resistance Exercise on Hemodynamics and Vascular Function

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(2): 526-538, 2020. The purpose of this study was to examine hemodynamic and vascular responses between machine-weight and free-weight exercise. Resistance-trained individuals were assigned to a machine-weight (n= 13) or free-weight (n= 15) group. Groups completed two visits consisting of their assigned exercise condition and a control (CON). A 2 x 2 x 3 repeated measures ANOVA was used to test the effects of group across condition and time on the hemodynamic parameters [cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR), total peripheral resistance (TPR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and stroke volume (SV)]. A 2 x 2 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA was used to test the effects of group across condition and time on the hemodynamic variable, forearm vascular conductance (FVC), as well as on vascular measures [forearm blood flow (FBF), blood flow peak, and total reactive hyperemia (RH)]. Main effects were analyzed using pairwise comparisons. The results of the present study demonstrate that both machine-weight and free-weight exerciseproduce similar (p \u3e 0.05)alterations in hemodynamics and vascular function. Specifically, during recovery both groups demonstrated significant (p ≤ 0.05) increases in measures of hemodynamics such as CO, HR and FVC, as well as significant (p ≤ 0.05) decreases in TPR, MAP, and SV. Measures of vascular function such as FBF, blood flow peak, and total RH were also significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased during recovery.Therefore, this study suggests that either machine weight or free-weight exercise may induce acute hemodynamic and vascular benefits, which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD events

Hemodynamic response and pulse wave analysis after upper- and lower-body resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction

Resistance exercise (RE) has been shown to elevate hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection. However, the effects of acute RE with blood flow restriction (BFR) on hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection are unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences between upper- and lower-body RE with and without BFR on hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection. Twenty-three young resistance-trained individuals volunteered for the study. Hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection were assessed at rest, 10, 25, 40, and 55 minutes after either upper- or lower-body with or without BFR. The upper-body RE (URE) consisted of the latissimus dorsi pulldown and chest press; the lower-body RE (LRE) consisted of knee extension and knee flexion. The BFR condition consisted of four sets of 30, 15, 15, and 15 repetitions at 30% 1-repetition maximum (1RM) while the without BFR condition consisted of four sets of 8 repetitions at 70% 1RM. Heart rate, rate pressure product, and subendocardial viability ratio significantly (p\u3c0.05) increased after all exercises. Brachial and aortic systolic blood pressure (BP) significantly (p\u3c0.05) elevated after LRE while brachial and aortic diastolic BP significantly (p\u3c0.05) reduced after URE. Augmentation pressure, augmentation index (AIx), AIx normalized at 75 bpm, and wasted left ventricular pressure energy significantly (p\u3c0.05) increased after URE while transit time of reflected wave significantly (p\u3c0.05) decreased after LRE. URE places greater stress on pulse wave reflection while LRE results in greater responses in BP. Regardless of URE or LRE, the cardiovascular responses between BFR and without BFR are similar