Research Methods Y1 - Self Report Techniques Flashcards
What is a self-report technique?
A self-report technique is any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviors, and/or experiences related to a given topic.
What is a questionnaire?
A questionnaire is a set of written questions (sometimes referred to as ‘items’) used to assess a person’s thoughts and/or experiences.
What is an interview?
An interview is a ‘live’ encounter (face-to-face or on the phone) where one person (the interviewer) asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences. The questions may be pre-set (as in a structured interview) or may develop as the interview goes along (unstructured interview).
What is a questionnaire used for?
A questionnaire may be used as part of an experiment to assess the dependent variable. For example, whether views on the legalization of specific recreational drugs are different in older and younger people.
What is the difference between open and closed questions in a questionnaire?
Open questions: Allow respondents to answer in any way they wish, producing qualitative data that is rich in detail but can be difficult to analyze.
Closed questions: Offer a fixed number of responses, such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (quantitative data). Quantitative data from closed questions is easier to analyze but may lack depth.
What are the two broad types of interviews?
Structured and unstructured interviews.
What is a structured interview?
A structured interview involves pre-determined questions asked in a fixed order, like a questionnaire but conducted face-to-face (or over the phone).
What is an unstructured interview?
An unstructured interview is like a conversation. The interviewer has general aims or topics in mind but no fixed structure, allowing the interviewee to elaborate on their answers freely.
What is a semi-structured interview?
A semi-structured interview combines features of structured and unstructured interviews. Some questions are pre-determined, while others depend on the interviewee’s responses.
What is one strength of questionnaires?
Cost-effective: They can gather large amounts of data quickly because they can be distributed to large numbers of people.
Straightforward data analysis: Particularly true for closed questions. Data lends itself to statistical analysis, enabling comparisons between groups using graphs and charts.
What is one limitation of questionnaires?
Responses may not always be truthful: For example, respondents might understate the frequency of a behavior due to social desirability bias.
Response bias: Respondents may fail to read questions properly and give the same answer repeatedly (e.g., acquiescence bias).
What is one strength of structured interviews?
Easy to replicate: The use of standardized format reduces differences between interviewers.
What is one limitation of structured interviews?
Inflexibility: The structure makes it difficult for interviewers to deviate from the topic, which may frustrate respondents.
What is one strength of unstructured interviews?
Allows for richer data: The interviewer can follow up on points, gaining more insight into the interviewee’s views.
What is one limitation of unstructured interviews?
Time-consuming: Analysis can be difficult because of the qualitative nature of the data.
