METHOD EFFECTS IN SURVEY AND FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS - UNDERSTANDING SMOKING CESSATION IN LOW-SES AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN

The same pool of African American women participated in a survey and i n focus groups on motivation to quit smoking. Findings from the two st udies were compared to explore potential method effects. Consistent wi th each method's basic purposes, the survey identified variation in st udy variables based on accepted theory and association patterns among such variables. The focus groups discovered themes and images salient to the participants and highlighted the situational contexts that gave meaning to smoking and smoking cessation. Survey method limitations i ncluded poor sensitivity to topic salience and contextual meanings and a deductive mode that channeled interpretation of results within the boundaries predefined by the study's theoretical framework. Focus grou p method limitations included an overfocus on the most dramatic and un common evidence and lack of systematic ways to identify explanations t hat may underlie the participants' overt expressions. Together, the mu ltiple findings complemented and explained each other.