ABSTRACT
Between 1960 and 1990, Charles Cannell and his colleagues documented significant survey response errors, created a model of the survey response process, developed a theory of the interview and a set of interviewing techniques to encourage accurate reporting, and designed methods for observing interviewer and respondent behavior. This chapter summarizes Cannell’s work, examine its evolution, and suggest ways in which it can inform current research and practice. Cannell developed a theory of the response process. Cannell and Fowler first uncovered evidence of interviewer effects on reporting of health experiences. From 1960 until 1990, the Cannell perspective on response error, and interviewing techniques designed to attack this error, evolved and was tested in a variety of settings. Cannell’s legacy to survey researchers is a perspective on response error and a set of tools for reducing it. Cannell advocated theorizing about likely reporting error in the measurements planned for each survey.
