2009 BRDIS Pre-Testing: Cognitive Interview Protocol
General Probes:
- What is this item/section asking you for, in your own words?
- What terms do you use to describe this?
- Do your records contain this information? What do these records look like? What are they called?
- Would you use book figures, or would you have to estimate to report for this item?
- Would you have to manipulate the book figures to get an answer? How?
- How would you go about completing this item? What specifically would you include (exclude)?
- Would you need help from other company personnel to get these data?
- You said, “____”?
- Can you tell me more about that?
- What are/were you thinking about?
- (Reflect back R’s answer and ask R to correct) I want to make sure I have it right. I think you said ____?
Background questions
- Please tell me a little about your company’s activities, and your role in the company.
- Please tell me a little about your company’s R&D activities.
- Do you interact with your company’s R&D managers or other R&D personnel? Please tell me about your relationships with R&D personnel.
Now I will show you parts of next year’s survey form. Please approach it as if you were about to fill it out. I will ask you questions as you go through it.
Pages 2-3, General Information and Instructions
Observe whether R attends to any information on this page, skims, looks briefly and goes on to page 4, etc.
Specific probes:
- What do you notice about these pages?
- What is the most important information to you on these pages?
- (R at foreign-owned company) What does this instruction mean to you?
- Are any of these instructions relevant for your company?
Page 4, Questions 1-3
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Flowchart:
- Observe whether R attends to the flowchart, looks at it briefly and goes on,
etc.
- What does this diagram mean to you?
- After looking at this diagram, what would you do next?
Page 5, questions 4-6
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q6: What does “domestic operations” mean to you with regard to net sales or operating revenues?
- Would you report sales made IN the US, sales made BY US entities, or something else?
Page 6, questions 7-10
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Page 7, questions 1.1-1.4
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q1.1:
- What does the text in the box mean to you?
Q1.2:
- Each line:
- What does this mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
Q1.4:
- Note whether R observes skip instruction.
- If appropriate, skip to section 2 on page 16.
Page 8, R&D paid for by your company
For each item:
What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q1.5:
- What does the text in the box mean to you?
- Would you have to estimate these amounts? If so, how would you go
about it?
Observations:
- Note whether R sees the reference to codes on page _.
- Note whether R observes instruction “total equals question 1.3”
Q1.6:
- What would you report in line q., “all other”?
Page 9, questions 1.7-1.10
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q1.7:
- What does “domestic R&D paid for by your company” mean to you?
Q1.8:
- What does “total foreign R&D paid for by your company” mean to you?
Q1.9:
- How would you go about completing columns 1, 2, and 3?
- What does “payments to collaborators” in line i. mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
- What does “purchased R&D services” in line j. mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
Q1.10:
- How would you go about completing columns 1, 2, and 3?
- What does “R&D performed by others” mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
Page 10-11, questions 1.11-1.12
For each item:
What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q1.11:
- What does “domestic R&D performed by your company” mean to you?
Page 11, questions 1.13-1.15
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Page 12-13, questions 1.16-1.25
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q1.16:
- What does “domestic R&D expense” mean to you?
- Is domestic R&D expense something that exists in your records?
- If no: How would you go about generating this number?
- What does “paid for by your company’s operations irrespective of where the R&D was performed” mean to you?
Q1.17:
- In your opinion, what is the difference between columns 1 and 2?
Page 14, Section 2, Financial Schedule 2
For each item:
What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q2.1:
- What does “costs for R&D funded, paid for, or reimbursed by others not owned by your company” mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
- Each line:
- What does this mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
Q2.3:
- Note whether R observes skip instruction.
- If appropriate, skip to wrap-up questions.
Page 15, questions 2.4-2.6
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q2.4:
- What do these amounts represent?
- (if clarification needed) Do they represent work performed in these locations, locations of others who are paying you to do work, or something else?
Q2.5:
- What does “domestic R&D paid for by others” mean to you?
Q2.6:
- What does “foreign R&D paid for by others” mean to you?
Page 16-17, questions 2.7-2.11
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q2.7:
- What does “payments to collaborators” in line i. mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
- What does “purchased R&D services” in line j. mean to you?
- Does it apply to your company?
- What terminology do/would you use to describe this?
Q2.8:
- What does “domestic R&D performed by others that was paid for by others” mean to you?
Q2.9:
- What does “domestic R&D performed by your company that was paid for by others” mean to you?
- In your opinion, what is the difference between 2.8 and 2.9?
Q2.10:
- What does the text in the box mean to you?
- Would you have to estimate these amounts? If so, how would you go
about it?
Observations:
- Note whether R sees the reference to codes on page _.
- Note whether R observes instruction “total equals question 2.2”
Q2.11:
- Note whether R observers the switch to domestic?
Pages 18-21, questions 2.12-2.18
For each item:
- What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Specific probes:
Q2.12:
- What does the text in the box mean to you?
- What does “subcontractor” mean to you?
- What does “subgrantee: mean to you?
- What does “original source of funds” mean to you?
Q2.13:
- How well does this amount match what you carry in your records?
Q2.18:
- What does each column mean to you?
- Note whether R observes that this is for domestic R&D
Page 22, questions 2.19-2.24
For each item:
What does this item mean to you?
- How would you go about completing this item?
Wrap-up
How long do you think it would take you to complete the questions we reviewed today?
How easy or difficult would it be to complete these questions – very difficult, somewhat difficult, neither easy nor difficult, somewhat easy, very easy?
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | 2009 BRDIS Pre-Testing: Cognitive Interview Protocol |
| Author | tuttl004 |
| Last Modified By | mom |
| File Modified | 2009-08-07 |
| File Created | 2009-08-07 |