Research Professor, ISR and JPSM, University of Maryland and Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan
Frederick Conrad is the associate director of the Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science (MPSDS). He is a Research Professor in MPSDS and Professor in Psychology. He received a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. His research generally applies ideas and methods from cognitive science and human-computer interaction to data collection methods. His current research concerns efficiency of texting compared to voice (telephone) interviews, understanding when social media content might be able to supplement or even replace certain survey data, the prevalence of acquiescence in survey response and pretesting, and moment-to-moment measurement of music listening experience.
Research Interests
New modes of survey data collection such as video (mediated and recorded) and text messages; Interviewing techniques and survey data quality; Passive measurement with smartphones; Social media for social research;
Selected Publications
Conrad, F.G., Schober, M.F., Antoun, C., Yan, H.Y., Hupp, A.L., Johnston, M., Ehlen, P., Vickers, L., Zhang, C. (2017). Respondent mode choice in a smartphone survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 81, 307-337.
Conrad, F.G. Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P., & Zhang, C. (2017). Reducing speeding in web surveys by providing immediate feedback. Survey Research Methods, 11, 45-61.
Conrad, F.G., Schober, M.F., Hupp, A.L, Antoun, C., & Yan, H.Y. (2017). Text interviews on mobile devices. In P.P. Biemer, E. de Leeuw, S. Eckman, B. Edwards, F. Kreuter, L.E. Lyberg, C. Tucker, & B.T. West (Eds.), Total survey error in practice (299-318). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Schober, M.F., Pasek, J., Guggenheim, L., Lampe, C., & Conrad, F.G. (2016). Research Synthesis: Social media analyses for social measurement. Public Opinion Quarterly, 80(1), 180-211. doi:10.1093/poq/nfv048
Conrad, F.G., Schober, M.F., Jans, M., Orlowski, R.A, Nielsen, D., & Levenstein, R. (2015). Comprehension and engagement in survey interviews with virtual agents. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognitive Science, 6:1578. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01578
Current Research Projects
Prospects for incorporating social media into social research