The Decision Process Equivalency of Electronic Versus Pencil-and-Paper Data Collection Methods

Abstract

An experiment was conducted comparing electromc versus pencil-and-paper data collection methods. The consistent Ending was that the electromc data collection method displayed more stability across levels of the methodological variables. No significant differences were found in the responses received for the data collection methods or interactions. The findings for these two primary topics of study combined with the absence of significant differences across data collection methods for measures of three additional variables, involvement with the product, attitude toward survey research and questionnaire completion time, lead to the conclusion that electronic and pencil-and-paper data collection approaches provide data that is equivalent and interchangeable in many if not all ways. Keywords Electromc data collection, data collection methods, response effects, decision processes, protocol analysis, survey research.