Words matter. Just changing one word in a research question can vastly impact the results.
A definitive study from Loftus & Palmer in 1974 demonstrated that changing the descriptor of an accident from "bumped" to "smashed" changes the testimony from eyewitnesses. (McLeod, 2014)
You can check out a recreation of the experiment from Brain Games here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-96BLaKYQ
I recently had the opportunity to interact with a customer service person at an organization I do business with. The interaction which was above and beyond the typical contact went well, so I was prepared to provide feedback to the company.
When I opened the email the company sent, I expected to see the question: "How satisfied were you with the customer service that you received?" I would have responded with a 10 out of 10.
But the email they sent me asked - "Based on your recent call with Company X customer service, how likely are you to recommend Company X to a friend or colleague?" My answer to that question is 0 out of 10.
Why? Because you don't pay me to market your services and I don't work for free.
I am not sure why companies don't get that.
Because I didn't want my answer
to reflect poorly upon the person that I spoke with, I chose not to answer at
all.
This is not an isolated
incidence. I am not sure when companies
decided that if they only have one question to ask this would be the one.
But I am sure it's not providing them with any meaningful feedback.
McLeod, S. (2014) Loftus & Palmer. simplypsychology.org. Retrieved July 6, 2021, from
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