Research Methods: Self Reports, Questionnaires & Interviews: FF/RN Flashcards
In a self-report, participants give information to the researcher to provide details on their …?
Thoughts/feelings/behaviour
What two types of questions can you get in a questionnaire?
Open and closed
Self report involves participants responding to questions using what two methods?
A questionnaire or interview
What type of question requires a one word response?
Closed questions
What type of question allows participants to respond in detail?
Open
What do questionnaires often form part of?
Surveys
Do surveys involve asking a small or large sample of people information on a topic?
Large sample
The purpose of a survey is to get a good representation of who?
The target population
Because we can generalise results from surveys to the rest of the population does this increase the internal or external validity?
External validity
A strength of questionnaires is that they can tackle sensitive issues. Why is this?
Because participants data can remain anonymous
When the data in questionnaires is anonymous, what are the participants answers more likely to be?
Honest
If participants provide honest responses, what type of validity does this affect and how?
Increases internal
Why is there a reduction of investigator effects in a questionnaire?
The researcher does not have to be present
In what type of self report method is the researcher likely to be present when the participants answer?
Interview
If there are investigator effects, what type of validity does this affect and how?
Reduces internal validity
A strength of questionnaires is that they can be given to what quantity of people - small or large?
Large quantity
Being able to give questionnaires to a large quantity of people increases what about the findings?
The generalisability
A weakness of questionnaires is that they could lead to social desirability bias. What is social desirability bias?
People lie to present themselves in the best possible light
What type of validity does social desirability bias affect and how?
Lowers internal
Why might there be less social desirability bias in a face to face interview?
Because the researcher is present people are less likely to lie
How could you minimise the issue of social desirability bias in a questionnaire?
Make the questionnaire anonymous
A weakness of questionnaires is misinterpretation of questions. Why is this more of an issue for questionnaires than interviews?
Because the researcher is not present so can’t ask for clarification
If participants misinterpret questions this can lead to them giving what?
Invalid information
If participants provide invalid information, what type of validity could this affect and how?
Lower internal validity
Who could misinterpret participants answers in a questionnaire?
The researcher
What type of question can participants answer in their own words?
Open questions