---
url: "https://questionstar.com/principles-of-survey-research/chapter-3/slide-100.html"
title: "Can the respondent remember?"
type: "lehrbuch-slide"
chapter: 3
chapterTitle: "Questionnaire"
slide: 100
---

# Can the respondent remember?

*Poor recall leads to omission, telescoping and creation. Ask about typical behavior, not exact counts.*

### Recall errors

Poor recall leads to **omission** , **telescoping** and **creation** . Ask about **typical behavior** , not exact counts.

![Person thinking](/principles-of-survey-research/media/guy_erinnern.png)

**Aided recall:** "Which of the following brands were advertised yesterday?" (with a list) instead of "Which commercials do you remember?"

### Example

"How many bottles of soft drinks have you consumed in the past four weeks?"

### Ask instead

"How often do you drink soft drinks in an average week?"

less than 1× 1–3× per week 4–6× per week 7× or more

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*Slide 100 of 274 · Chapter 3: Questionnaire · Principles of Survey Research · Dr. Paul Marx*