Conducting cognitive pretests and research in pretest database

We support you in Cognitive Pretesting

Cognitive pretests are used in the development or adaptation of survey instruments to ensure that the questions and items are understandable and interpreted as intended.

Cognitive Pretesting - Our Service at a Glance

What does the service include?
We carry out cognitive pretests on your behalf using various methods individually tailored to your research project.

Who is the service aimed at?
Our services are aimed at researchers who conduct social science surveys. Unfortunately, we do not offer our services for bachelor's and master's theses.

What are the fees for the service?
The costs for carrying out pretests are project-specific and depend on the number of test persons, the number of questions to be tested and the pretesting method used. We will be happy to provide you with an individual offer. Advice on conducting pretests independently is generally provided free of charge.

Data Access

Price List

Cognitive Pretesting - Our Service in Detail

We advise researchers on the planning of a cognitive pretest. We support you in selecting the appropriate pretest method, developing the interview protocol and selecting the test persons.

Our experts conduct cognitive pretests for researchers. In consultation with you, we select the questions to be tested, create the interview protocol, carry out the cognitive pretest and deliver a results report including suggestions for revision. You can find out about the costs in our price list. We will be happy to provide you with an individual quote.

Cognitive Interviewing

In cognitive interviews, test persons complete a questionnaire and are asked questions about how they arrived at their answers ("probes"). The interviews can be conducted in person on our premises, by telephone or by video conference.

Web Probing

In web probing, the cognitive probes are implemented in an online questionnaire. The respondents' answers provide information on whether all respondents interpret an item or a term in the same way, or whether there are systematic differences in understanding between different groups of respondents. In addition, the higher number of cases in web probing pretests makes it possible to analyze quantitative quality indicators (e.g. item variance, internal consistency of scales, response times).

Screen Recording and Eye Tracking

To test self-administered questionnaires on stationary and mobile devices, we use screen recording options to test their usability. For mobile devices, we use cameras that capture the smartphone screen and the respondent's interaction with the online questionnaire. In addition, eye tracking can be used to track and record the eye movements of the respondent (live) when answering a questionnaire.

You can find more information on these methods in our survey guides on cognitive pretesting, the use of eye tracking in cognitive interviews and web probing. In the Meet the Experts series, our experts also explain in short videos what to look out for when conducting cognitive interviews (Video link & Slides (0.96 MB)) and web probing studies (Video link & Slides (527 kB)). You can find our current research on cognitive pretesting below under "Research".

Research tested Items in our Pretest Database

The GESIS Pretest Database is an open access repository that currently contains over 2000 questions or items that have been evaluated using cognitive pretests at GESIS. For tested items, the detailed results of the pretest are documented, as well as any suggestions for optimizing the items. A special search function facilitates the search for suitable items for your research project.

Do you need further advice on survey methodology? Our experts will be happy to provide you with personal and individual advice on topics relating to the selection and use of suitable survey instruments, survey design, sampling and survey statistics.

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Cognitive Pretesting