BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet Method: Survey Year: 1960s. Domain: Biological, Psychological, Social Assessment Tool Category: Context-dependent Variations/Translations: Census, questionnaire Setting: Any setting Method of Delivery: In-person, by mail, phone or on-line. Description: Surveys are used to gather information from a sample of individuals. This sample is usually a fraction of the population being studied (the size of the sample depends on the purpose of the study). Information is collected by means of a series of standardized questions so that every individual is asked the same questions in more or less the same way. The more representative the sample is of the population, the more generalizable the findings. Typical response rate is less than 50%. When the the response rate falls below 50% the generalizability is considered to be weak. Response rates above 50% are generally considered acceptable, but response rate above 80% are far more desirable. Scoring/Interpretation: Different questions can use different scoring methods (ie. Likert vs. ordinal scoring). Analysis may require appropriate statistical methods. The results may be categorized into two general types: (a) descriptive results, which are results relating to the survey population at the time that the data were collected, and (b) analytical results relating to a survey population that often goes beyond the actual population surveyed. Time to Administer: Varies with each individual survey. Availability: Widely available. Software: Any statistical analysis software (SPSS, SAS, etc.) Websites: http://www.whatisasurvey.info/ Qualitative/Quantitative: Quantitative Validity (Quantitative): Varies with each individual survey. Reliability (Quantitative): Varies with each individual survey. References: Scheuren, F. (1997) What is a survey? American Statistical Association. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.whatisasurvey.info/ Comments: N/A