Table 3 Case examples of mismatches between selected response and revealed abilities in the cognitive interviews conducted in Germany (12/2015–03/2016)
Ability addressed in the item | Revealed ability using specific probes | Selected response categorya | “Problematic” issues | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Access | Item 1 …to find information about “symptoms of illnesses” | ID_14 reported not knowing the meaning of “symptoms of illnesses”. | “fairly difficult” | Respondent answered the item without knowing the meaning of a term. |
ID_17 asked what “symptoms of illnesses” means. | “fairly difficult” | |||
Understand | Item 6 …to understand leaflets | ID_07: “I don’t read leaflets but if I did, I would understand them”. | “fairly easy” | Discrepancy between reported knowledge/experience and self-estimated ability |
ID_12 reported that he had never read a leaflet completely. He had rather listened to what the doctor said. | “fairly easy” | |||
Judge | Item 11…to judge when you may need to get a second opinion from another doctor | ID_09 confirmed difficulties in judging whether a doctor counseled someone wrong when a person is not familiar with the topic. He visited another doctor only once or twice. | “fairly easy” | Discrepancy between reported knowledge/experience and self-estimated ability |
ID_17 reported getting a second opinion “not often”. | “fairly easy” | |||
Item 28 …to judge if the information on health risks in the media is reliable | ID_02 doubted being able to easily judge information in the media. | “fairly easy” | ||
Apply | Item 47… to take part in activities that improve health and well-being in your community | ID_06 gave “charitable donation” as only one example of “activities improving health”. His unique experience referred to a “charity run” that he took part in. | “very easy” | Term/item misunderstood, discrepancy between reported knowledge/experience and self-estimated ability |
ID_16 did not understand the item, described the “activities improving health” as a type of experience. The respondent was not able to understand how this type of experience is connected to health. | “fairly easy” | |||
ID_17 interpreted the term “activities” as an action relating to a person, for example giving advice to a friend about exercising if he were “too fat”. | “very easy” | |||