Research Methods Flashcards
Name all the Features of a Science
- Theory Construction
- Hypothesis Testing
- Empiricism
- Paradigms
- Replicability
- Objectivity
- Falsifiability
Remember THE PROF
What does theory construction mean?
Developing an explanation for certain behaviour by gathering evidence through an experiment and creating a coherent account
What is Hypothesis Testing?
Analysing your theory and seeing whether it produces statements that can be either proven or disproven
What does Empiricism mean?
The idea that facts can only come from actual experience
Why are anecdotes, speculations or beliefs not empirical?
They have no necessary direct experience backing them, meaning they are not empirical or scientific
What are paradigms?
Paradigms are assumptions or methods generally agreed on by everyone in that specific subject field.
What is meant by a paradigm shift?
When a scientific evolution results in a significant change in the dominant theory or method within a scientific discipline
What is Replicability?
The extent in which a scientific experiment or its finding can be repeated by other researchers
What is objectivity?
There is minimal bias within the field/discipline. Something is objective when it is based on factual information and is not ‘subjective’
What is falsifiability?
The idea that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of it being disproven
What is the difference between an aim and a hypothesis?
An aim is what the researcher actually wants to find out through the research, whilst a hypothesis is a prediction on what they find as part of the research
What is the difference between a Null Hypothesis (H0) and an Alternate Hypothesis (H1)?
A Null Hypothesis predicts that there will be no significant effect or relationship between the variables, whilst an Alternate Hypothesis predicts a significant difference or relationship between the variables.
What is the difference between a one tailed hypothesis and a two tailed hypothesis?
A one tailed hypothesis predicts the direction of the effect or relationship, whilst a two tailed hypothesis does not predict the direction of the effect or relationship.
What is an independent variable (IV)?
The independent variable within an experiment is the variable that is being manipulated
What is a dependent variable (DV)?
A dependent variable within an experiment is the variable that is being measured
What are co-variables?
Co-variables are variables within a correlation and they are effectively two DV’s.
What are the four types of data?
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
- Primary
- Secondary
What is qualitative data?
Qualitative data is non-numerical; and provides lots of information. This data helps us to find underlying reasons and motivations.
What are the methods used to collect qualitative data?
- Unstructured Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Open-ended Questions
- Unstructured Observations
- Case Studies
What is an important purpose in qualitative data?
Used to gain insights into people’s attitudes, behaviours and experiences. Can also be used to formulate hypotheses for future research.
What is quantitative data?
Quantitative data is numerical and can be measured/quantified. This data is useful for identifying patterns, making predictions and generalising finding and results for large populations and sample sizes.
What are common methods used to collect quantitative data?
- Closed Questions
- Structured Observations
- Experiments that involve statistical analysis
What is the purpose in quantitative data?
It is used to test hypotheses, measure variables and assess the causes and relationships between certain variables and other psychological factors.
What are the advantages to qualitative data?
- Descriptive
- Allows more depth of analysis
- Increases the validity of the experiment
- Leads to more meaningful conclusions and the participants views
What are the disadvantages to qualitative data?
- Difficult to draw comparisons between groups within an experiment
- Difficult to arrive at a reliable conclusion about a specific variable within the experiment
- More time consuming to create
- Not reliable due to it being very difficult to arrive at the exact same answer due to difference in wording and understanding
What are the advantages of quantitative data?
- Objective
- Highly reliable
- Easy to compare
- Statistics are easier to use when analysing large samples or populations
- Short and quick (Easy to store)
What are the disadvantages of quantitative data?
- Reductionist
- Lacks validity
What does reductionist mean?
When a theory or piece of information is broken down into smaller parts so that it can be understood easier. This also means that relevant information may be missed out during the process of summarising the information meaning that it doesn’t give a clear picture in the results of an experiment.
What is primary data?
Primary data is information that is original and collected firsthand by the researcher for a specific research purpose.
What are the methods in collecting primary data?
- Conducting experiments
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Observations
What is the purpose of primary data?
It provides direct evidence and is specific to the research purpose meaning all the information should be directly relevant to the experiment
What is secondary data?
Secondary data is pre-existing information that was collected by someone else for a previous research study but can be repurposed for a modern and current piece of research
What sources are commonly used for secondary data?
- Academic Journals/Books
- Government or Official Reports
- An official statistical database
- Previous Research Studies/Case Studies
What are the advantages of using primary data?
- Reliable due to the current research knowing exactly what they’ve done and would be able to replicate it easily
- More up-to-date and more likely to answer your specific research question
- Primary data is directly taken from your chosen population meaning it is more relevant to your study and the people within it
What are the disadvantages to primary data?
- The researcher can be subjective in information they find themselves and may want to choose specific data points which ‘fit in’ with what they are looking for
- Needs a large enough sample to make sure the information can be generalised
- Time-consuming and expensive in comparison to the collection of secondary data
What are the advantages of secondary data?
- It is readily available and easy to collect
- Cheap and less time consuming
- Allows for more insight and development of the data
What are the disadvantages of secondary data?
- It might be unrepresentative to your specific sample or population
- May be unreliable due to lack of control
What are the important areas of ethics which should be addressed in a psychology research/experiment?
- Confidentiality
- Informed Consent
- Deception
- Debriefing
- Right to Withdraw
- Participant Protection
What is confidentiality?
This is the state in which participant should remain anonymous so that the data cannot be identified as being theirs.
How should confidentiality be addressed as an ethical issue?
- Irrelevant personal details should not be taking by the researcher
- Participant data should be anonymised by using numbers or codes instead of names
What is informed consent?
This is the idea that participants should be made aware in what the experiment or piece of research is asking of them. They should then give signed/written permission indicating that they accept these conditions through a consent form and should not be put under any pressure to do so.
How should informed consent be addressed as an ethical issue?
The participant should be made fully aware of what is being asked of them and they should sign a consent form to indicate this. They should be allowed to make their own decision on whether they participate.
What is deception?
Deception is when a participant is misled within an experiment.
Is Deception always a bad thing within an experiment?
No. Generally, the participant should not be misled during an investigation. However, sometimes participants should not be made aware of the true aims of the experiment (or if they are in an experiment at all) to gain valid results.
How should deception be addressed as an ethical issue?
Deception should always be avoided if possible and therefore the researcher should be open and honest with the participant. For instances where deception is used, participants should be thoroughly and honestly debriefed and they should be reminded in how they can withdraw their data from the research at any time.
What is debriefing?
Debriefing is when the participants are reminded at the end of the experiment about the true aims of the investigation and given the opportunity to directly communicate with the researchers on any issues they may have experienced during the research. They can also use this time to clarify any questions they may have surrounding the experiment and their own data.
How should debriefing be addressed as an ethical issue?
A verbal or written debrief should be given to the participants which should clearly explain the experiment aims, reference to other groups in the experiment and also touch on other ethical issues such as the right of withdrawal, checks on welfare and also the potential offering of support when necessary
What is mean by the right to withdraw?
A part of the briefing process should be making the participant aware they they can withdraw themselves and their data from the piece of research at any time. This also states that participants do not have to give an explanation in why they would like to withdraw themselves or their data.
How should the right to withdraw by addressed as an ethical issue?
The researcher should make sure that the participants are made aware that they can do this throughout the whole study and that they will face no form of penalty.
What is meant by the protection of participants?
The researcher has a responsibility to make sure that the participants don’t face any form of physical or mental harm from the experiment. This includes relevant harm that becomes apparent after the experiment has taken place.
How should the protection of participants be addressed as an ethical issue?
The researcher should make sure that the participant is leaving the experiment in the same psychological and physical state as they entered the experiment (this should be addressed during the debrief). If harm has occurred during the experiment, the research should make sure that the participant is offered relevant support.
How should ethics be addressed in experiment that include the use of animals?
- Researchers can only use species that are considered suitable according to ethical guidelines
- It is encouraged that the investigation should take place in their natural environment
- Procedures that include the possibility of any form of harm should be avoided wherever possible
- The animals must be taken care of if the study requires them to be kept captive
What is a population?
The entire group of individuals that the research is concerned about and addresses
What is a sample?
A smaller group selected from the population, which is used to represent the larger group. The researchers will study the findings made from the sample and generalise them for the whole population.
What are all the sampling techniques?
- Random Sampling
- Systematic Sampling
- Stratified Sampling
- Opportunity Sampling
- Volunteer Sampling
What is random sampling?
Random sampling is when everyone in the population has an equal chance of being selected.
How should random selection be done?
Random selection should be done by including everyone in the populations name (or allocating numbers) in a hat or random generator and picking the amount you need for the sample.
What is systematic sampling?
Systematic sampling involves selecting every nth member of the population. Not everyone in this sampling technique has an equal chance of selection.
What is stratified sampling?
This involves dividing the population into subgroups (strata) based on a characteristic, then using random sampling from each strata proportionally. For example, if 60% of a population is male, 60% of the sample should be male.
What are the steps to working out a stratified sample?
- Identify the appropriate strata (For example, gender)
- Determine the population proportions (For example, 60% male and 40% female)
- Calculate the sample size for each stratum (If you need a sample of 100 and the population is 60% male, 60 men should be in the sample)
- Use a random sampling method to select the people from each of these stratum
What is the difference between volunteer and opportunity sampling?
Volunteer sampling involves individuals self selecting themselves to be apart of the study (from something like an advertisement or poster) whilst opportunity sampling involves the researchers targeting participants who are both accessible and willing to participate in the study.
What are pilot studies?
Pilot studies are small preliminary studies that are conducted prior to the main piece of research. These are used to make sure the experiment is not being largely effected by extraneous variables and every measure that is being used is valid.
What are the advantages of a pilot study?
- Helps to identify possible issues within the experiment which saves time and possible money for during the main piece of research
- Improves research quality and validity
- Ensures ethical soundness
- Helps the researchers to practice the study so they are largely efficient for the main piece of research
- Helps determine the right research design
- Helps to get rid of possible extraneous variates
What are the disadvantages of a pilot study?
- Limited generalisability because the results may not be applicable to the larger main research
- They can be time consuming and expensive to do
- The results could unintentionally influence the main study, which could bias the research
What are extraneous variables?
Extraneous variables are any other variables other than the IV that could potentially influence the DV in a study
What are the three key considerations to take when controlling extraneous variables?
- Participant variables
- Researcher variables
- Situational variables
What are participant variables?
This is minimising the difference between the participants to help increase the validity of the research
What are researcher variables?
These are factors such as researcher behaviour, appearance or gender which could impact the participant’s responses. These should be kept consistent within an experiment to minimise their impact
What are situational variables?
This is the control of the setting in which the research takes place. This may be the impact of lighting or temperature on the participants. These should also be kept consistent within an experiment.
What are confounding variables (CV)?
They are a specific type of extraneous variable that varies systematically with the IV and therefore provides an alternative explanation for the results.
Name some examples of participant variables
- Age
- Gender
- Intelligence (IQ)
- Personality Traits
- Experience and Background
- Mood and Motivation
What is meant by participant reactivity?
This is a tendency for participants to read cues from the research environment or researcher and change their behaviour. This may result in demand characteristics.
What are demand characteristics?
Demand characteristics refer to cues in the setting of the experiment that may lead the participants to work out the aim of the study and change their behaviour accordingly to either please or displease the researchers.
What are the impacts of demand characteristics on an experiment?
Demand characteristics can bias results within the experiment due to the behaviour being observed may not reflect the participants natural responses
How can a researcher reduce demand characteristics?
Researchers must try to keep the true aims of the investigation secret to make sure that the participants give natural responses within the experiment
What is social desirability bias?
Social desirability refers to the tendency of individuals to present themselves in a favourable light by responding to questions in a manner that will be viewed positively by others
What is the impact of social desirability bias on an experiment?
This bias can have a significant impact on the validly of self-report data in an investigation
What are investigator effects?
Investigator effects occur when the researcher either accidentally or purposefully influences the participants or the results of the study.
What are some examples of investigator effects?
- Subtle cues
- Changes in body language
- Changes in facial expressions
- Giving expectations of the experiments outcomes
What is the impact of investigator effects?
Investigator effects can introduce the possibility of bias and affect the validity of a study and its findings.
What is reliability?
Reliability is a measure of whether something stays the same.
How can we tell if a psychological investigation is reliable?
We know if an investigation is reliable by seeing if the scores are similar each time the investigation is carried out. If the scores of similar, the results and the investigation are seen as being reliable
What are the two main branches of reliability?
Internal and External Reliability
What is internal reliability?
This describes the internal consistently of a measure such as whether the different questions in a questionnaire are all measuring the same thing.
What are the two methods of assessing internal reliability?
- Split-half method
- Inter-observer reliability
What is the split-half method?
This is where date that is collected is split randomly in half and compared to see if results taken from each part of the measure are similar
What is inter-observer reliability?
This is when the results are checked through the agreement between different observers or ragers when assessing the same behaviour of phenomenon.
Which score is often seen as a high level of agreement within inter-observer reliability?
0.8
What is external reliability?
External reliability assesses the consistency of a measure from one use to another.
What is the main way of assessing external reliability?
Test-Retest Reliability
What is test-retest reliability?
This checks the consistently of results over time. It involves administering the same test to the same participants on two separate occasions and comparing the results to see if they are similar on both occasions. A high correlation between the results indicates a good test-retest reliability and overall, a high external reliability.
What is validity?
Validity refers to whether a measure actually measures what it claims to be measuring. It ensures that the findings of a study are meaningful. This is also how we refer to the accuracy of the measure
What are the three key types of validity?
- Face Validity
- Internal Validity
- External Validity
What is face validity?
Face validity is a measure of whether it looks subjective promising that a tool measures what it is supposed to. It is a very shallow level of measurement
What is internal validity?
Internal validity is a measure of whether results obtained are solely affected by changes in the variable being manipulated in a cause-and-effect relationship.
What are the two key types of internal validity?
- Construct Validity
- Concurrent Validity
What is construct validity?
Construct Validity (Internal) asks whether a measure successfully measures the concept it is supposed to
What is concurrent validity?
Concurrent validity (Internal) ask whether a measure is in agreement with pre-existing measures that are validated to test for the same (or similar) concept
What is another way in assessing the internal validity of an investigation?
Internal validity can be assessed based on whether extraneous variables that could affect the results are successfully controlled or eliminated
What is external validity?
A measure of whether data can be generalised to other situations outside of the research environment they were originally gathered in.
What are the three key types of external validity?
- Temporal Validity
- Ecological Validity
- Population Validity
What is temporal validity?
This is high when research findings can be successfully applied across time. Certain variables in the past may no longer be relevant now or in the future.
What is ecological validity?
This is whether data is generalisable to the real world, based on the conditions research is conducted under and procedures involved
What is population validity?
This is whether data from the sample is generalisable to the population, based on how representative the sample is of the target group.
What are the types of experiments (location)?
- Laboratory Experiments
- Field Experiments
What is meant by a laboratory experiment?
This is when the experiment is conducted in a controlled environment where variables can be precisely manipulated/observed and extraneous variables are minimised.
What are some strengths of laboratory experiments?
- High internal validity due to large degree of control
- High levels of reliability due to standardised procedures and controlled area
- Easier to establish cause-and-effect relationships
What are some limitations of laboratory experiments?
- Low ecological validity making it difficult to generalise
- Easier for participants to pick up on the investigation and may have demand characteristics
- Larger chance of the researcher having expectations of the experiment creating researcher bias
What are field experiments?
These are conducted in natural settings where variables are manipulated.
What are some strengths of field experiments?
- High ecological validity due to natural setting
- Less demand characteristics because the surroundings are more natural for the participants
- Less bias from sampling due to the participants not needing to be brought into any official lab or psychological site
What are some limitations of field experiments?
- The researchers have less control over variables (especially situational variables)
- In situations where the participants don’t know they are apart of an experiment, there are many ethical issues
- Low reliability due to extraneous variables being difficult to control
What are the types of experiment (Manipulation of the IV)?
- Natural Experiments
- Quasi-Experiments
What is a natural experiment?
Natural experiments occur naturally without researcher intervention where the IV is not directly manipulated but changes naturally. Researchers observe and analyse naturally occurring variations to draw conclusions about cause and effect.
What are some strengths of natural experiments?
- High ecological validity due to natural setting
- More ethical due to the researchers not directly manipulating the IV
- Less demand characteristics
- Can be a useful inferential tool
What are some limitations of natural experiments?
- Lack of control
- Difficult to replicate (low reliability)
- Possible sample bias
- Limited generalisability due to some natural events possibly being unique
What are quasi-experiments?
This is where the researcher is not able to directly manipulate the IV and we are not able to randomly allocate participants to conditions.
What are some strengths of quasi-experiments?
- More realistic due to natural setting
- High external and ecological validity
- Can be adapted to different contexts
- More ethical due to the researcher not being able to randomly allocate participants to groups
What are some limitations of quasi-experiments?
- Lack of random assignment
- Low internal validity
- May not be generalisable
What are the three experimental designs (the way in which participants are organised)?
- Repeated Measures Design
- Independent Groups Design
- Matched Pairs Design
What is the repeated measures design?
This involves testing the same group of participants across conditions. Participants serve as their own control as their score in condition one is compared against their score in condition two.
What are some strengths of the repeated measures design?
- No participant variables
- Few participants needed due to same participants in each group/condition
- More data points are obtained due to same number of participants in each condition
What are some limitations of a repeated measures design?
- Participants may behave differently due to the order of conditions performed
- Sometimes not possible to test the same participants twice
- Different tests and materials may be required for each condition possibly making it more time consuming and expensive
- Both conditions can’t take place at the same time making it more time consuming compared to other designs
What is the independent groups design?
This involves assigning different groups of participants to different experimental conditions, participants take part in one condition only.
What are some strengths of an independent groups design?
- No order effects due to participants only taking part in one condition
- Increased internal validity due to lower chance of demand characteristics
- Increased external validity
- Not very time consuming and cheaper to do due to participants taking part in only one condition
What are some limitations of an independent groups design?
- Large sample sizes needed which can lead to logistical issues and affect the reliability of the findings
- Impact of participants variables
- Can be costly in some situations due to the recruitment of more participants for each condition
- The results may not be representative of the whole population meaning it lacks generalisability
What is the matched pairs design?
This is when participants are matched based on relevant characteristics before assigning them to certain conditions.
What are some strengths to a matched pairs design?
- Fewer participant variables due to being matched on similar characteristics
- No order effects
- Lower demand characteristics
- Same tests and materials
What are some limitations of a matched pairs design?
- Time consuming to match the participants on the similar characteristics
- There may be selection bias whilst matching the pairs
- May be difficult to find relevant characteristics that you can match people with
- If a participant drops out, it may be difficult to find another person with the same characteristic to pair with the other person within the condition
- Can be costly due to additional procedures
- The matching process may be time consuming
What location observation designs and techniques are there?
- Naturalistic Observation
- Controlled Observation
What is a naturalistic observation?
This involves observing participants in their natural environment
What is a controlled observation?
A controlled observation is when researchers observe participants behaviour in a controlled and structured environment
What are the strengths of a naturalistic observation?
- High ecological validity
- In observations where the participants don’t know they are being observed, the results are more reliable
- Gives a bigger insight into normal behaviour with a smaller chance of demand characteristics
What are the limitations of a naturalistic observation?
- Lack of control over possible extraneous variables
- Can be difficult to establish cause-and-effect
- There is a possibility of observer bias
- In a naturalistic observation where the participants know they are being observed, demand characteristics can become a big issue
- Lack of generalisability due to lack of control
- Not very reliable and replicable due to natural environment
What are the strengths of a controlled observation?
- Easier to replicate due to more control in a structured environment
- Easier to record and observe
- Quicker to conduct
- Easier to establish inter-rater reliability
What are the limitations of a controlled observation?
- Participants can easily work out that they are being observed in a structured environment
- Low ecological validity
- Demand characteristics can largely impact the validity of the results
What are the observational techniques and designs for participant awareness?
- Covert Observation
- Overt Observation
What is a covert observation?
A covert observation occurs when the participants are unaware that they are being observed.
What is an overt observation?
An overt observation occurs when the participants know that they are being observed
What are the strengths of a covert observation?
- Honest and reliable data with a small chance of demand characteristics
- High ecological validity
- May be the only way to access deviant groups and populations
What are the limitations to a covert observation?
- Possible ethical issues due to the participants being unaware that they are being observed
- Can be difficult and costly to maintain the cover
- There may be observation bias
- Possible stress with the researchers to maintain their cover
What are the strengths of an overt observation?
- More ethical due to them being notified of the observation
- Easier to record the behaviour when they know they are being observed
- If observed over a long time, people may forget about the observation
What are the limitations to an overt observations?
- Participants may have demand characteristics if they know they are being observed
- Possible researcher bias
- Not always representative of the whole population
What are the observational techniques/designs for researcher proximity?
- Participant Observation
- Non-Participant Observation
What is participant observation?
Participant observation is when the researcher becomes apart of the group that is being studied.
What is non-participant observation?
This is when the researcher observes the group from a distance without getting involved in the activities
What are the strengths in a participant observation?
- Increased validity due to all information being available at once
- Produces more in-depth data
- Less likely for researchers to impose their own views
- Useful in unfamiliar situations
- Allows for the development of ideas during the research
What are the limitations of a participant observation?
- Possible researcher bias
- Researcher may not have full access to everything that they want to observe
- Can be time consuming to create trust with the participants
- Limited reliability and difficult to reproduce
- Ethical issues with the use of deception
- Difficult to multitask and record the data whilst being apart of the activities (relying on memory can be difficult and possibly wrong)
What are the strengths of a non-participant observation?
- The researcher is uninvolved which allows for a more objective view of the
- Less time-consuming and cheaper
- The data is quantifiable if an observation schedule is used
- Can reveal hidden norms if done carefully
What are the limitations of non-participant observations
- If they know about the observation, they may have demand characteristics making the results less valid and possibly bias
- Possible lack of depth
- Lack of relationship and trust between the researcher and the participants (can be good or bad thing)
- Could sometimes be difficult to understand the behaviour observed
- Lack of validity
- Possible ethical concerns
- The observation possibly can’t capture everything that may be needed
What are the observational techniques/designs for methods of recording data?
- Structured Observation
- Unstructured Observation
What is a structured observation?
In structured observations, the researcher uses a predefined framework/checklist known as behavioural categories to observe and record certain behaviours
What are behavioural categories? (Structured Observations)
Behavioural categories are specific and clearly defined behaviours that are to be observed and recorded
What is an advantage to using behavioural categories?
Helps to organise and quantify the data in a systematic way
What is a disadvantage to using behavioural categories?
Important behaviours that are not in the categories may not be recorded and decrease the validity of an observation or piece of research
What is an unstructured observation?
These observations do not involve a predefined checklist of relevant behaviours but the researcher record all important behaviours as they occur.
What is event sampling within an observation?
This is when the researcher records every instance of a particular behaviour whenever it occurs during the observation period
What is time sampling in an observation?
Time sampling is when observing and recording of behaviours is done at specific and regular time intervals
What are self reports?
Self reports are a method of data collection in which individuals provide subjective information about their own feelings, thoughts, behaviours and experiences
What are the two types of self reports?
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
What are the main two types of questions within a questionnaire?
- Open Question
- Closed Question
What is meant by an open question?
An open questions allows respondents to answer in their own words with as little or as much detain as they choose to give. Produces qualitative data
What is meant by a closed question?
Closed questions provide respondents with a set of predefined answers to choose from. Produces quantitative data
What are the four types of closed questions?
- Forced/Fixed Choice
- Likert Scale
- Semantic Differential
- Rating Scale
What is a forced/fixed choice question?
Questions that provide respondents with a limited range of answers to choose from and then select all that apply (for example, yes or no questions).
What is a likert scale question?
This is when respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement on a multi point scale
What is a semantic differential question?
A semantic differential question asks respondents to rate a concept on a scale between two bipolar adjectives
What is a rating scale question?
This type of question asks respondents to assign a value (normally from 1 to 10) to indicate their opinion of assessment of a certain thing
What type of closed question is this?
‘To what extent do you agree with the following statement “The current education system adequately prepares students for the future”’
SD,D,N,A,SA
Likert Scale
What type of closed question is this?
‘Do you agree with the current education system?’ (Yes/No)
Forced/Fixed Choice
What type of closed question is this?
‘Please rate the current education system on the following scale’
Effective/Ineffective
Modern/Outdated
Fair/Unfair
Supportive/Unsupportive
Semantic Differential
What type of closed question is this?
‘How would you rate the overall quality of the current education system on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent?’
Rating Scale
What is the definition of an interview?
Interviews are a method of data collection where researchers directly ask the participants questions to gather information about their thoughts, feelings, behaviours and experiences.
What is the definition of a structured interview?
Structured interviews follow a predetermined set of questions in a specific order, the interviewer cannot deviate from this set of questions
What is the purpose of a structured interview?
To ensure consistency ad reliability across different participants
What is the definition of a semi-structured interview?
Semi-structured interviews have a guided framework of topics or questions but allow for flexibility in how they are addressed
What is the purpose of a semi-structured interview?
They balance consistency with the ability to explore interesting responses in further detail
What is the definition of an unstructured interview?
Unstructured interviews have a set topic but do not have to follow a specific set of questions
What is the purpose of an unstructured interview?
It can help to explore topics in depth and allows the participants to express themselves freely.
