What does your choice of scuba gear say about you?

[mrfixitchapman]

You should see the stuff that I leave at home. The things that I bought but did not work well. The stuff that I don't need because I learned that "Hardware is not a substitute for skill", or experience. The stuff that I used until after it wore out. What I take with me on a dive is just the most reliable stuff. Not the newest. Not the matching-est. Not the brand-iest. The stuff that I can count on. So, since nobody on the boat can see the stuff that I left at home, what does it say to an observer that gazes upon me as I giant-stride away?

DC

P.S. I've seen Chug's gear set. He speaks true words.

 

[RJP]

I wonder how the results would have changed if there had not been a "neutral" option. Then the survey would be forcing participants more into expressing a positive or negative response

The results would have changed significantly - they'd be inaccurate. You'd be forcing someone who actually HAS a neutral belief to report that they have either a positive or negative belief that they do not have.

There's a science to how many choices to provide as well as whether the midpoint is a "neutral/zero" or some other value. There is a large body of academic research establishing the fact that scales are most reliable when there is an an ODD number of choices - either 5 or 7 (There's also science behind when to use 5 and when to use 7, but I won't get into that.)

Any Likert scale - used to measure beliefs or attitudes - will have either a unipolar or bipolar construct

Unipolar constructs lend themselves to an amount; either there is the maximum amount of the answer, the minimum amount of the answer, or something in between. However, since we're dealing with an amount the midpoint is not "neutral."

How helpful is this answer?
- Extremely helpful
- Very helpful
- Somewhat helpful
- Slightly helpful
- Not at all helpful

As you can see, this post can't be "Neutral helpful"

Bipolar constructs measure attitudes that fall on either side of midpoint that represents true ambivalence or neutrality.

How do you feel about taking market research surveys?
- I love taking market research surveys
- I like taking market research surveys
- Neutral
- I dislike taking market research surveys
- I hate taking market research surveys

Forcing someone who genuinely holds a neutral feeling/opinion to choose a positive or negative position is problematic in two ways:

1. People who hold a neutral position that are forced to choose will make their positive or negative choice randomly, so you haven't really "forced" anything
2. You will deprive yourself of the ability to learn that people are neutral about something, which can often be important to know

 

[KeithG]

The results would have changed significantly - they'd be inaccurate. You'd be forcing someone who actually HAS a neutral belief to report that they have either a positive or negative belief.

There's a science to how many choices to provide as well as whether the midpoint is a "neutral/zero" or some other value. There is also a huge body of evidence establishing that you should use an ODD number of choices - either 5 or 7 (I won't get into that debate.)

Any Likert scale - used to measure beliefs or attitudes - will have either a unipolar or bipolar construct

Unipolar constructs lend themselves to an amount; either there is the maximum amount of the answer, the minimum amount of the answer, or something in between. However, since we're dealing with an amount the midpoint is not "neutral."

How helpful is this answer?
- Extremely helpful
- Very helpful
- Somewhat helpful
- Slightly helpful
- Not at all helpful

As you can see, this post can't be "Neutral helpful"

Bipolar constructs measure attitudes that fall on either side of midpoint that represents true ambivalence or neutrality.

How do you feel about taking market research surveys
- I love taking market research surveys
- I like taking market research surveys
- Neutral
- I dislike taking market research surveys
- I hate taking market research surveys

Forcing someone who genuinely holds a neutral feeling/opinion to choose a positive or negative position is problematic in two ways:

1. People who hold a neutral position that are forced to choose will make their positive or negative choice randomly, so you haven't really "forced" anything
2. You will deprive yourself of the ability to learn that people are neutral about something, which can often be important to know

I agree. There is a science to conducting a good survey. But it is a moving target as our demographics rapidly change. And it will be very hard to explain the subtleties in a concise SB post to us troglodytes.

I think you will find it hard to educate / convince most people that most (some?, a few?, okay 1) surveys are valid. Too many survey monkey crap examples out there.

I have a client who were very proud of a recent survey they conducted and were prepared to launch a new major initiative based upon it. Until I pointed out they totally screwed up. Their well known audience was stay at home, retiree technophobes. A third party had been commissioned to conduct a survey. They did. Via the web. Oops. the most popular feedback was inclusion of social interaction, pic & video uploading features. This was for a target market that did not own a cell phone, had no computer, but did go to the library once a week to check for email from the grandchildren. So maybe I am a bit skeptical?

 

[RJP]

I agree. There is a science to conducting a good survey. But it is a moving target as our demographics rapidly change. And it will be very hard to explain the subtleties in a concise SB post to us troglodytes.

I think you will find it hard to educate / convince most people that most (some?, a few?, okay 1) surveys are valid. Too many survey monkey crap examples out there.

I have a client who were very proud of a recent survey they conducted and were prepared to launch a new major initiative based upon it. Until I pointed out they totally screwed up. Their well known audience was stay at home, retiree technophobes. A third party had been commissioned to conduct a survey. They did. Via the web. Oops. the most popular feedback was inclusion of social interaction, pic & video uploading features. This was for a target market that did not own a cell phone, had no computer, but did go to the library once a week to check for email from the grandchildren. So maybe I am a bit skeptical?

Ah yes... clients and market research.

[video=youtube;eXRM3lFRwRI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXRM3lFRwRI[/video]

 

[Akimbo]

RJP

What were you hoping to learn when you composed these questions?

 

[Nemrod]

I have always liked SP gear because I could not afford it and therefore wanted what I could not have.

But when I was an impressionalbe teen and would watch all those Cousteau specials I figured the cool kids would have full sets of USD Aqua Lung and so I was powerfully upset all I had was this Voit junk which was so yesterday cuz Sea Hunt went off the air and who the hell is Mike Nelson anyways, he is a fictional character and Cousteau, he was for real.

But, when I was a child all I could get was a set of gear from the feed and seed store and all he had was some stupid Nemrod junk. But it came with a really cool catalog full of really curvy looking girls wearing not very much which highly impressed my 12 yo mind and of my classmate buddies as well, but did not impress Sister Eduardo one tinsy little bit.

"Why you are a nimrod are not you" she asked as she snatched the catalog from my hands. I said, "sister, it is Nemrod with an E" and then there was this loud whack------! "N-E-mrod with an E then" she said with that twisted, forced smile she had, and then turned and floated back across the room, locking my catalog away in her desk never to be seen ever again.

Thus, Nemrod is my name, underwater diving is my game. And that is with an E by the way.

N

 

[Dr. Lecter]

it came with a really cool catalog full of really curvy looking girls wearing not very much which . . . did not impress Sister Eduardo one tinsy little bit

Well, at least not that she let on...I mean, she did take the catalog from you

 

[drrich2]

Comparing the 2 questions is interesting, because what 'others' vs. 'self' means to a person is so different.

If you ask if I can tell a lot about the diver by the gear they choose, consider what I want to know on a dive boat:

1.) Do you look like a competent potential instabuddy?

2.) Do you look advanced such that you'd be interesting to talk to & learn from?

3.) If you've picked some brands I recognize as really good, what other brands of product do I see you have? Just in case your good judgment carries over...

I am not so concerned about discerning your politics, religion, regional origin (long as you are fluent in English), marital status (I'm married so I'm not looking), family status, job, car, etc... And while it might be more relevant, I'm not strongly looking to interpret your personality (e.g.: extrovert/introvert, optimist/pessimist, loud & overbearing vs. quiet & meek, etc...).

On the other hand, when you ask what my gear, or anything else, says about me, I think in terms of how I self-identify. Many of those latter qualities are powerfully meaningful to my self-perception/identity. Much more so than diving a jacket BCD & split fins, what computer I dive, etc...

Now, I figure someone could guess quite a bit about me as a fellow boat diver by looking at me & my gear. Which is what that person would find relevant on brief acquaintance on a typical 2-tank boat trip. Am I a 'stroke?' Intermediate recreational diver? Not how I voted in the last Presidential election.

Richard.

 

[KeithG]

I have always liked SP gear because I could not afford it and therefore wanted what I could not have.

But when I was an impressionalbe teen and would watch all those Cousteau specials I figured the cool kids would have full sets of USD Aqua Lung and so I was powerfully upset all I had was this Voit junk which was so yesterday cuz Sea Hunt went off the air and who the hell is Mike Nelson anyways, he is a fictional character and Cousteau, he was for real.

But, when I was a child all I could get was a set of gear from the feed and seed store and all he had was some stupid Nemrod junk. But it came with a really cool catalog full of really curvy looking girls wearing not very much which highly impressed my 12 yo mind and of my classmate buddies as well, but did not impress Sister Eduardo one tinsy little bit.

"Why you are a nimrod are not you" she asked as she snatched the catalog from my hands. I said, "sister, it is Nemrod with an E" and then there was this loud whack------!

Thus, Nemrod is my name, underwater diving is my game. And that is with an E by the way.

N

You had me at curvy girls. Where can I buy?

 

[RJP]

RJP

What were you hoping to learn when you composed these questions?

They were part of a larger study the objective and outcomes of which would make your head explode. And mine... if I have to get into defending a "Stated vs Derived Importance" analyis.

"Move along. Move along..."