(4) SELF-REPORT METHODS

Question 1

What are the two types of self-report methods

Answer 1

Questionnaires
Interviews

Question 2

Define a questionnaire and give the pros and cons of it

Answer 2

○ PROS
§ Large samples questioned efficiently
§ Reduce investigator effects
□ Doesn’t affect how people respond
○ CONS
§ People can and do lie - worried about how they are perceived
□ Social desirability
§ People may not understand questions

Question 3

Give the two types of questions within questionnaires and give the pros and cons of each

Answer 3

○ Two kinds of questions
§ Open questions
□ Definition
® Questions allowing for free form answers
□ PROS
® More qualitative data
® More detail - people can elaborate on answers
□ CONS
® Analysis difficult bc qualitative data
® Less time efficient
§ Closed questions
□ Definition
® Can be answered with “yes” or “no”
® Limited set of possible answers
□ PROS
® Time efficient
® Quantitative data - easy to analyse
□ CONS
® Less detail - no elaboration on answer

Question 4

Give the three types of interviews

Answer 4

§ Structured interviews
□ Pre-determined set of q’s
□ Asked in fixed order
§ Unstructured interviews
□ No set questions
□ Free-flowing, flexible, informal
§ Semi-structured
□ Set of q’s prepared in advance
□ Interviewer free to ask follow-up q’s

Question 5

Give the pros and cons of a structured interview

Answer 5

□ PROS
® Same questions
◊ Reduce researcher bias
◊ Easy to replicate
□ CONS
® No depth - straight up answer

Question 6

Give the pros and cons of an unstructured interview

Answer 6

□ PROS
® More honesty
◊ Raises validity of study
® More qualitative data
□ CONS
® Weak statistical analysis
Interviewer has to sift through irrelevant info

Question 7

What are the overall cons of interviews

Answer 7

○ CONS
§ Longer than questionnaires
§ Increased risk of investigator effects