Scale Simplification of Expectations for Survival: Cognitive Ability and the Quality of Survey Responses

This paper examines how data quality (specifically data that uses response scales designed to measure event probability) is affected by the cognitive ability of respondents and whether or not respondents provide a simplification process. Cognitive ability does have an affect on how respondents answer survey questions that use a high number of response options. Evidence of satisficing and providing simplification responses does show up in respondents with lower cognitive abilities, but the bunching phenomenon (due to satisficing) appears to have only limited effects on the data quality. Regardless of this limited effect, the results suggest ways of improving the quality of survey questions that use many response options. Better data quality will result when questioning leads respondents with higher cognitive abilities to maximize the number of response options while leading lower able respondents to deal with a reduced set of response options. The unfolded bracket technique is an example of such a method.

methodology/health Status/cognitive ability/Subjective life expectancy questions

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