Draft+of+Measure

//Draft of Measure://

Alternate forced choice questions will be employed to acquire details about the respondents age and gender. Respondents will identify their age by nominating the best suited interval. Respondents will identify their gender by means of a 2AFC question; male or female. In the case of the 5 point likert scale the following applies; 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = somewhat agree, 5 = strongly agree.

The Guttman scale will also be used to allow for questions that ascertain the level of exposure to certain factors without asking some respondents superfluous questions. For example, asking a respondent “I play a musical instrument in a live band” is irrelevant if the respondent does not first identify that they play a musical instrument.

Indirect items addressing potential hearing loss and risk factors will be used in conjunction with more direct questions in order to account for confounding factors of social desirability and over/under emphasis of potential hearing loss etc.

Table 1 below outlines example questions pertaining to the five risk factors identified previously as well as potential hearing loss. Table 1. //Example Items//

“My workers union requires that I wear hearing protection on the job” “I operate heavy machinery every day as part of my job” || Music (Listen) “Flat packed furniture that requires assembly annoys me” “I prefer to save on costs and perform DIY renovations on the house” “I operate power tools regularly in my spare time” || “My boss always hassles me to put my hearing protection back on while I’m on shift” “My friends all use earbuds at concerts but I prefer to hear the music” “Music has to be loud to be enjoyed” “I like to ‘feel’ the bass when I listen to my music” || “I often notice my ears ringing when I get home after being out with my friends” “I often find myself asking people to repeat things when they speak to me” “I find it hard to hear people talking when they aren’t looking at me” ||
 * Factor || Question Type and Example ||
 * DEMOGRAPHICS ||  ||
 * AGE || Interval; i.e 18-24, 25-30, 30-40, 50-65, 65+ ||
 * GENDER || 2AFC; M / F ||
 * DOCUMENTED HEARING LOSS || 2AFC; Yes / No ||
 * || Do you currently need any form of hearing aid? ||
 * WORK PLACE || 5 point likert-scale ||
 * || “I operate heavy machinery every day as part of my job”
 * HOBBIES & INTERESTS || Guttman Scale ||
 * || Music (Play)
 * I do not play a musical instrument
 * I play a musical instrument in my free time
 * I regularly practice music in a group
 * I play to an audience
 * I play music professionally
 * I do not listen to music
 * I enjoy listening to personal music
 * I enjoy attending live music events
 * I’m usually in the front row at live music events ||
 * || 5 point likert-scale ||
 * || “A payed professional is the best way to get work done on the house”
 * ATTITUDE TO HEARING PROTECTION || 5 point likert-scale ||
 * || “I find hearing protection annoying to use”
 * POTENTIAL HEARING LOSS || 5 point likert-scale ||
 * || “When I leave work my ears ring and continue to do so for a long time after I get home”