1. The impact of response options and location in a microcomputer interview on drinking drivers' alcohol use self-reports.
- Author
-
Hays RD, Bell RM, Hill LL, Gillogly JJ, Lewis MW, Marshall GN, Nicholas R, and Marlatt GA
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Alcohol Drinking prevention & control, Alcoholic Intoxication prevention & control, Alcoholic Intoxication psychology, California, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychometrics, Reproducibility of Results, Alcohol Drinking legislation & jurisprudence, Alcoholic Intoxication epidemiology, Automobile Driving legislation & jurisprudence, Microcomputers, Personality Assessment statistics & numerical data, Truth Disclosure
- Abstract
The influence of response options for and location of frequency of alcohol use items in a self-administered microcomputer interview were evaluated in a randomized, experimental study of 296 clients at a west coast treatment site for drinking drivers. Respondents were asked about their frequency of alcohol use in the last 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, and 180 days with three methodological factors randomized: (1) how quantitative the response options were; (2) order of presentation of close-ended response options; and (3) relative placement of alcohol use items in the questionnaire. Results indicate that these methodological factors had minimal influence on self-reports of the frequency of alcohol use. Only two statistically significant effects out of 44 possible were observed. The findings of this study suggest that frequency of alcohol use reports by drinking drivers yield similar information for a range of different response formats and location of the items in a microcomputer interview.
- Published
- 1994