Stanley Le Baron Payne

This book is largely a summary of Mr. Payne's wide experience in practicing the art of question wording. It is written primarily for the researcher who uses or is considering using the questionnaire and the interview technique to collect data on public opinion. The book is a compilation of the present state of experience and knowledge in the art of asking questions. It is wisdom based on a good deal of experience in problems of wording many questions. It is based very little on research findings. It is a compilation of the "do's" and "don'ts" of question wording, particularly from the semantic aspects of questions. Each point which is made is thoroughly illustrated from the author's experience in question wording and from existing studies in public opinion and market research fields. For the student or the neophyte in question wording, this book will be of considerable assistance in avoiding many of the semantic problems of question wording. This is by far the most comprehensive work in the field of which this reviewer is aware. One criticism of the book is that questions are discussed as though they were the end products of the research rather than in terms of the research objectives of the question. To sum up, this book is an excellent guide to the researcher who is about to undertake a cross-section sample study using poll-type questions. It will be of less use to the social scientist who is designing a questionnaire to investigate complex social issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)… (mehr)