RM: self report techniques Flashcards
What are questionnaires?
A self-report technique involving a pre-set list of written questions to which a participant responds
Commonly used in psychological assessments to evaluate thoughts and feelings.
What is the primary purpose of using questionnaires in psychology?
To assess thoughts and/or feelings of participants
Can include studies on various topics such as dreams or personality types.
How can a questionnaire be utilized in an experiment?
To assess the dependent variable
Example: Comparing views on the legalisation of recreational drugs between different age groups.
What are the two broad categories of questions in a questionnaire?
Open questions and closed questions
Each serves different purposes in data collection.
What is an open question?
A question without a fixed range of answers, allowing respondents to answer freely
Produces qualitative data with a wide range of responses.
What type of data do open questions typically produce?
Qualitative data
Contains diverse responses but may be challenging to analyze.
What is a closed question?
A question offering a fixed number of responses
Example: Asking participants to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
What type of data can closed questions produce?
Qualitative and quantitative data
Example: Rating sociability on a scale of 1 to 10 yields quantitative data.
What is one advantage of quantitative data from closed questions?
It is usually easy to analyze
However, it may lack the depth of qualitative data.
True or False: Closed questions that produce qualitative data can be converted to quantitative data.
True
This can be done by counting responses.
What is a primary strength of questionnaires in research?
Cost-effective and can gather large amounts of data quickly
The number of respondents determines the volume of data collected.
How does the presence of the researcher affect questionnaire completion?
Questionnaires can be completed without the researcher being present
Example includes postal questionnaires.
What type of questions in a questionnaire facilitate straightforward data analysis?
Fixed-choice closed questions
These allow for easier statistical analysis and comparisons.
What is a major limitation of questionnaires regarding respondent honesty?
Responses may not always be truthful
Respondents may present themselves in a positive light.
What is social desirability bias?
When respondents underestimate undesirable behaviors to appear favorable
Example: Underestimating how often they lose their phone.
What does response bias refer to in the context of questionnaires?
When respondents tend to reply in a similar way
This can include always answering ‘yes’ or favoring one end of a scale.
What can cause response bias in questionnaire responses?
Respondents completing the questionnaire too quickly
They may fail to read questions properly.
What is acquiescence bias?
A specific form of response bias where respondents tend to agree with statements
This can lead to skewed data.
What is the primary mode of interaction in most interviews?
Face-to-face interaction between an interviewer and an interviewee
What are the three broad types of interviews?
- Structured interviews
- Unstructured interviews
- Semi-structured interviews
How are structured interviews characterized?
A pre-determined set of questions asked in a fixed order
What is the key feature of unstructured interviews?
No set questions; conversation-like interaction
What type of interview is most similar to a conversation?
Unstructured interviews
What distinguishes semi-structured interviews from structured and unstructured ones?
A list of pre-determined questions with the freedom to ask follow-up questions
Fill in the blank: A structured interview is like a __________ but conducted face-to-face.
questionnaire
True or False: Semi-structured interviews do not allow for any follow-up questions.
False
In what type of interview are interviewees encouraged to elaborate their answers?
Unstructured interviews
What is a common example of a semi-structured interview?
Job interview
What is the general aim of an unstructured interview?
To discuss a certain topic in a free-flowing manner
What is a key characteristic of structured interviews?
They have a standardised format that allows for straightforward replication.
This standardisation reduces differences between interviewers.
What limitation do structured interviews have?
Interviewers cannot deviate from the topic or explain their questions.
This limitation restricts the richness of the data collected and unexpected information.
What is a key advantage of unstructured interviews?
They offer much more flexibility, allowing interviewers to follow up on points as they arise.
This flexibility increases the likelihood of gaining insight into the interviewee’s worldview.
What is a potential risk associated with unstructured interviews?
Increased risk of interviewer bias.
The flexible nature may lead to subjective interpretations.
What challenge arises when analyzing data from unstructured interviews?
The analysis is not straightforward and may involve sifting through irrelevant information.
Drawing firm conclusions can be difficult due to this challenge.
What is a common risk in both structured and unstructured interviews?
Interviewees may lie due to social desirability.
This can affect the validity of the responses given.
How can an interviewer mitigate the risk of social desirability in responses?
By establishing sufficient rapport with the participant.
This is especially important when discussing sensitive and personal topics.
What is the self-report technique?
Any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences related to a given topic.
Define questionnaire.
A set of written questions (sometimes referred to as ‘items’) used to assess a person’s thoughts and/or experiences.
What characterizes an interview?
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.
What are the two types of interviews mentioned?
Structured interview and unstructured interview.
Fill in the blank: A questionnaire is a set of written questions used to assess a person’s _______.
[thoughts and/or experiences]
