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| noback vs. noret |
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Let's talk about script languages for CAI (Computer Aided Interviewing).
A standard solution in such languages,
especially in CASI (Computer Aided Self Interviewing) and CAWI (Computer Aided Web Interviewing) scripts
is to add an instruction that would block the respondent from going back to a previously answered question.
Usually, this is done in the following scenarios:
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A response is given that ends the interview for the respondent because of some quota limits;
we don't want the respondent going back and changing a response to be able to finish the rest of the interview
(and perhaps receive some reward for filling out the whole questionnaire).
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Responses to subsequent questions could affect responses to previous questions;
for instance, let's consider questions about spontaneous and prompted awareness -
the respondent, after seeing possible responses in the second question may want to go back
to add a "spontaneous" answer that he/she forgot about.
A typical solution in CAI scripts would be to add a "NO BACK" option to a question.
In the first case of the described ones above, this option would be added to the ending screen
(that is shown after a quota limit is passed);
and in the second case - to the prompted awareness question.
However, things get a bit more complicated if the question the respondent is not supposed to go back to
leads to many different questions depending on some filters. These filters may be defined for the question itself,
but may function as a result of many other responses in previous questions.
Now, to block the respondent from going back, the script writer needs to add the "NO BACK" option
to all possible questions that may come after the blocked question:
This is pretty easy initially, but as the script develops, changes are introduced,
questions are added, deleted, reordered, etc. it is very possible that some scenario will not get covered
and the respondent will actually be able to go back to the blocked question.
So, actually, what we need in such scripts is not a "NO BACK" option,
but a "NO RETURN" option that would be added to the question being blocked.
Then, regardless of the flow of the interview and of the changes made to the script during development,
the question will remain blocked:
Thus, such an option gives at least the following benefits when many filters take affect after the question to be blocked:
- easier initial development,
- easier maintenance of survey scripts,
- smaller chances of error.
That doesn't mean that the "NO BACK" option is useless - again, depending on filters coming into
a sensitive question, we may want to block respondents from going back to any of the previous questions
he/she might have come from:
So, it's just a symmetric problem - "NO RETURN" is better for complex filters leading out,
"NO BACK" is better for complex filters leading in:
And that's why both options are supported in YAC Interview Kit now. :-)
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