ABSTRACT
In this Chapter and the next, I continue my case against survey research by describing how shaky instruments 1 —mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews, and all other types of asking—produce wobbly answers 2 . My general point is that asking instruments are stimuli and reinforcements skewing answers into either Category One or Category Two 3 . I begin with a statement of the relationship between instruments and questions. Next, I specify types of questions. Then, types of asking instruments are identified, after which, and continuing through Chapter 7, weaknesses of asking instruments are described.
