[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6732-6733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2029]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request Questionnaire 
Cognitive Interview and Pretesting (ARP/DCCPS/NCI)

    Summary: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), 
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the 
information collection listed below. This proposed information 
collection was previously published in the Federal Register on November 
26, 2007 (Vol. 72, No. 226, p. 65969) and allowed 60 days for public 
comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice 
is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National 
Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is 
not required to respond to, an information collection that has been 
extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless 
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Proposed Collection: Title: Questionnaire Cognitive Interview and 
Pretesting. Type of Information Collection Request: New. Need and Use 
of Information Collection: The purpose of the data collection is to 
conduct cognitive interviews, focus groups, Pilot household interviews, 
and experimental research in laboratory and field settings, both for 
applied questionnaire evaluation and more basic research on response 
errors in surveys. The most common evaluation method is the cognitive 
interview, in which a questionnaire design specialist interviews a 
volunteer participant. The interviewer administers the draft survey 
questions as written, but also probes the participant in depth about 
interpretations of questions, recall processes used to answer them, and 
adequacy of response categories to express answers, while noting points 
of confusion and errors in responding. Interviews are generally 
conducted in small rounds of 10-15 interviews. When possible, cognitive 
interviews are conducted in the survey's intended

[[Page 6733]]

mode of administration. Cognitive interviewing provides useful 
information on questionnaire performance at minimal cost and respondent 
burden. Similar methodology has been adopted by other federal agencies, 
as well as by academic and commercial survey organizations. There are 
no costs to respondents other than their time. Frequency of Response: 
Once. Affected Public: Individuals or households.

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                                                                                            Estimated                                        Estimated
                                                                            Estimated       number of        Average burden hours per      annual burden
           Type of respondents                        Project               number of     responses per              response                  hours
                                                                           respondents     respondent                                        requested
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questionnaire Development Volunteers.....  (1) Survey questionnaire                 200               1  1.25...........................           250.0
                                            development.                                                 (75 minutes)...................
General Volunteers.......................  (2) Research on the                      100               1  1.25...........................           125.0
                                            cognitive aspects of survey                                  (75 minutes)...................
                                            methodology.
Computer User Volunteers.................  (3) Research on computer-                100               1  1.25...........................           125.0
                                            user interface design.                                       (75 minutes)...................
Household Interview Volunteers...........  (4) Pilot Household                      200               1  0.5............................           100.0
                                            interviews.                                                  (30 minutes)...................
                                          --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total................................  ............................             600  ..............  ...............................           600.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The estimated total annual burden hours requested is 600. There are 
no annualized costs to respondents. The annualized costs to the Federal 
Government are estimated at $264,000 and include cost of NCI staff to 
plan, conduct, and analyze outcomes of questionnaire development, $50 
payment of pretest participants, contracting for pretesting activities 
and research, travel costs, and additional materials needed to conduct 
and recruit participants for the research. There are no Capital Costs, 
Operating Costs, and/or Maintenance Costs to report.
    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies should address one or more of the 
following points: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) Enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on 
the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans 
and instruments, contact: Dr. Gordon Willis, PhD., Cognitive 
Psychologist, Applied Research Program, DCCPS, NCI/NIH, 6130 Executive 
Blvd., MSC 7344, EPN 4005, Bethesda, MD 20892 or call non-toll-free 
number 301-594-6652 or e-mail your request, including your address to: 
[email protected].
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: January 28, 2008.
Vivian Horovitch-Kelley,
NCI Project Clearance Liaison, National Institutes of Health.
 [FR Doc. E8-2029 Filed 2-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P