The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a generic clearance that will allow FNS to conduct a variety of data-gathering activities aimed at improving the quality and usability of information collection instruments associated with research and analysis activities.
The data-gathering activities utilized to this effect include but are not limited to experiments with levels of incentives for study participants, tests of various types of survey operations, focus groups, cognitive laboratory activities, pilot testing, exploratory interviews, experiments with questionnaire design, and usability testing of electronic data collection instruments. FNS envisions using a variety of techniques including field tests, respondent debriefing questionnaires, cognitive interviews, and focus groups in order to identify questionnaire and procedural problems, suggest solutions, and measure the relative effectiveness of alternative solutions.
Following standard OMB requirements, FNS will submit a change request to OMB for each data collection activity undertaken under this generic clearance. FNS will provide OMB with the instruments and supporting materials describing the research project and specific pre-testing activities.