Interviewer variance between event history calendar and conventional questionnaire interviews

Whereas the primary goal of event history calendar interviewing is to maximize the accuracy of autobiographical recall, the primary goal of standardized conventional questionnaires is to obtain valid and reliable reports by minimizing interviewer variance. The level of interviewer variance in eliciting retrospective reports for a 30-year reference period was examined between CATI event history calendar and CATI standardized conventional questionnaire interviews. In general, with both interviewing methods, the level of interviewer variance was within the range observed with other data sources. Although the event history calendar led to a modest increase in interviewer variance in comparison to the conventional questionnaire, the event history calendar is still the preferred method because its use reliably produced more accurate retrospective reports.