Check the Phone Book: Testing Information and Communication Technology Recall Aids for Personal Network Surveys

• In Event: 239 - Section on Communication and Information Technologies Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Methods and Technologies

Abstract

This study tested two recall aids for the name generator procedure by conducting a Web survey experiment with 447 college students randomly assigned to three conditions eliciting their personal networks. As compared to the participants being presented only the name generator, participants who were prompted and probed to consult the records saved in their communication devices provided more comprehensive network data, especially more weak ties. Furthermore, these data were garnered without substantial increase in respondent burden for the following name interpreters. The findings demonstrated a cost-effective and context-neutral technique that improves the recall accuracy of ego-centric network data collection.

Author

• Yuli Hsieh, Northwestern University