A Comparison of Big-Five Personality Factors Safe Sex Behaviors and Social Desirability Using Paper-and-Pencil and Interactive-Voice-Response Surveys

Paper-and-pencil tests (PP) have been the cornerstone of surveys and questionnaires in psychology for well over a century. Researchers have longed for a survey method that would provide similar results and quicker data analysis. There are several methods that have been commonly tested against PP surveys; including computers and computer-assisted telephone interviewing, in which a researcher phones the participant who answers questions by pressing the numbers on the keypad of his phone. Both of these methods have yielded conflicting results that showed them to give either equivalent, more social desirable, or less social desirable answers. There has been relatively little research conducted with interactive voice response (IVR) surveys. It was hypothesized that: I) the participants who completed the PP version would admit to fewer unsafe sex practices, on all aspects of the SSBQ, than the participants who completed the IVR version, 2) there will be a main effect for mode of administration, with the participants who completed the PP version answering in a more socially desirable manner than the participants who completed the IVR survey on the M-C, 3) There will be an interaction effect, with the PP version taken at home admitting to safer sex behaviors than those who took the PP version at school. Psychology students (N=133) were randomly assigned to one of four groups, a take home PP version, an in-class PP version, a call from home IVR, and an in class IVR. Participants completed the IVR and PP in class version in an office, alone. None of the hypotheses were supported; however this seems to add weight to the argument that IVR surveys yield comparable results to similar PP versions.