Cognitive interviewing skills

NatCen Learning

This two day course is aimed at giving participants a thorough grounding in cognitive question testing methods and practical experience in cognitive interviewing skills. The course also covers the analysis and reporting of cognitive interview data. Participants will learn through a combination of taught and practical sessions, including homework.


Course outline
Course content covers:

  • What are cognitive techniques and why are they useful?
  • What are the different types of methods?
  • Practising cognitive interviews, with feedback
  • Designing cognitive interview probe sheets
  • Selecting and recruiting respondents
  • Analysing cognitive interviews
  • Reporting findings, implementing changes as a result of findings
  • Organising cognitive interviewing: things to consider
  • Selling cognitive interviewing to sponsors


Who is it aimed at?
This is an advanced level course, which requires some prior knowledge of questionnaire design. A general familiarity with survey research methods is also assumed, but it is not necessary to have interviewing experience.

You will find the course useful if:

  • you wish to acquire a theoretical understanding of the role of cognitive methods in the development and testing of survey instruments;
  • you need to gain practical experience in cognitive interviewing techniques and analysis of the data;
  • you need to plan a cognitive test for the first time;
  • you commission or manage research in central or local government, health or other applied policy sectors and need to learn about pre-testing methods so you can incorporate this stage of development into your work


Learning outcomes
By the end of the module participants will be able to:

  • determine when question testing is needed
  • design an appropriate sampling and recruitment strategy
  • design cognitive testing taking account of different cognitive interviewing methods and their uses
  • do cognitive interviewing
  • effectively note-take and report back on a cognitive test
  • plan a cognitive test
  • sell question testing to clients and sponsors


Cost and booking
The full price of this course is £650.

We offer discount to students, academics and those working in the voluntary sector.

Participants will be limited to a maximum group size of 12.