Laboratory-Based Research on the Cognitive Aspects of Survey Methodology: The Goals and Methods of the National Center for Health Statistics Study

The National Center for Health Statistics is embarked on a major project to combine the respective strengths of cognitive psychologists and survey researchers in a common effort to improve the design of survey questionnaires. This methodological research is conducted within the framework of the National Health Interview Survey, the nation's main source of information on the health of civilians. Better quality of such information--from recall to response rates--can aid both scientific inquiry and public policy.