Research Methods - Self report Flashcards
Self Reports
Any method where the ppt reports their own thoughts and feelings about a particular matter to the psychologist.
Self-report could be a research method on it’s own or a method of collecting data to measure the DV.
Open questions
- ppts give attitudes, opinions, recall experiences in their own words.
- No pre-set options to choose
- eg. How do you feel after that experience?
Closed Questions
- Offers responses from which to choose.
- eg. what is your preferred treatment, therapy or medication?
Rating Scales
These are different types of ‘closed questions’.
Likert scales - numerical rating from 1-5 (from slightly agree to strongly agree)
Rank Orders - e.g. from 1-10 (1 being not at all, 10 being absolutely)
Checklists - tick any items that apply to you!
Semantic Differential Scales - 2 extremes are given, responses fall between these values
Filler questions
- Sometimes questionnaires have ‘filler questions’ among the real questions.
- Answers to filler questions are not analysed
- Serve to hide the real purpose of the study.
- In some studies you might not want the participants to know the true purpose of the questionnaire > lead to demand characteristics/social desirability bias.
- Filler question’s will make ppts less likely to guess the true aims of the study.
Psychometric Tests
- These are specific types of questions that measure psychological characteristics, e.g. intelligence, pain, personality
- They will give ppts a single numerical score on the characteristic or on various dimensions of the characteristic, so they quantify a characteristic that would otherwise be difficult to measure.
- A personality test is an example.
Key features of questionaires
- Gather data systematically, from large numbers of people
- Carried out on selected groups (samples), from which generalisation may be possible
- Standardised instructions
Two types of question:
**Open questions **- range of answers is not restricted by the researcher
Closed questions - possible answers are determined by the researcher – including rating scales
Surveys
- Surveys are large scale questionnaires, which aims to gain insight into a particular attitude or behaviour across a group of people.
- will have a large sample, they are usually distributed and collected via post or online.
- the researcher has little control over the response rate.
- Certain types of people may be more likely to respond. This will usually be people who have more time or feel strongly about the issue.
- surveys may have a lot of closed questions, for ease of analysis, a response bias may occur. This is where the ppt answers in a pattern, without reading the questions properly, eg, answering ‘yes’ to everything
Problem Questions
Example 1: Double barrelled question
Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about our service:
‘I feel welcomed by staff and other youth at the centre.’
* Some people may not agree to everything in the statement.
Example 2: Leading question
Most people complain that there are not enough police out on the streets. Do you think there are too few police on the streets yes/no?
* Putting ideas into your head so that you are more likely to believe that’s the truth.
Strengths of Questionnaires
**Strengths: **
* Convenient- researcher does not need to be present. eg. answers can be mailed
* Can collect large amounts of data
* Many people can be questioned quickly
* Easy to analyse numerical data
* Can show changes in attitudes or behaviour before or after specific events
Weaknesses of questionnaires
- If researcher is present-may affect answers
- People may not tell the truth, especially on sensitive issues. (they will give a socially desirable response).
- Difficult to phrase questions clearly
- You may obtain different interpretations
- Leading questions > distort answers
- Postal or online surveys may have low response rate
Structured Interviews
- Has pre-determined questions
- essentially a questionnaire
- face to face, on camera or over the telephone.
- There is no deviation from the original questions.
**Strengths: ** - interviewer can explain questions if the participant does not understand > increases the validity.
- questions are standardised > increasing the reliability
- researcher can compare answers establishing trends
**Weaknesses: ** - Comparability difficult if interviewer behaves differently
- Researcher/interviewer effects – where the behaviour of the interviewer affects the ppts response.
- Interviews data needs to be analysed. Analysis could be influenced by the researcher (researcher/interviewer bias)
Semi-Structured Interview
- some pre-set questions are written
- opportunity for the researcher to ask further questions.
Unstructured Interview
- New questions are developed/added during the interview.
- The interviewer may begin with general aims and possibly a few pre-determined questions
- subsequent questions develop based on the answers that are given.
**Strengths: ** - researcher can explain questions if the ppt does not understand - data may be more valid.
- data can be more detailed/specific adding more insight.
**Weaknesses: ** - require interviewers with more skill > more expensive, need for trained interviewer
- Questions may lack comparability
- Researcher bias is more likely to occur
Interviews - Practical & Methodological issues
Recording the interview – The interviewer may make notes> may interfere with their listening skills.
The effect of the interviewer – The presence of an interviewer may increase
the amount of information provided, even in an unstructured interview.
Non-verbal communication –
Discouraging or encouraging body language can affect the ppt’s responses ‘researcher effects’
Listening skills – Do not interrupt too much and when they do speak.
* Avoid repeating Questions
* Avoid probing too much
* Avoid asking why to often
* Ask more focused questions
