Practical Considerations for Conducting Cognitive Labs

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  In Roundtable Session: Perforating the Boundaries of Qualitative Research

Abstract

This paper draws on lessons learned from four federally-funded studies that used cognitive labs to evaluate assessment items. Specifically, the extent to which respondents’ actions and thought processes demonstrate that they understand the items as intended, and items elicit the intended thought processes. For each study, our approach included respondent think aloud, probing to guide respondents in articulating their thoughts, and structured follow-up questions to further explore comprehension and reasoning. For this paper, we reflected across studies, which vary in terms of assessment topic and respondent age, with an eye toward what we have learned about the cognitive lab method. The paper provides researchers new to the method with practical considerations and real examples that can inform their work.

Author

• Lisa Famularo, Research Matters, LLC