Self Report Flashcards
What are the different forms of self report?
Questionnaires
Interviews
(can be structured, semi-structured and unstructured)
Verbal
Written - diary entry
What are the 2 types of questions in questionnaires?
Open and closed
What is a open question?
set question with a blank space underneath
used to assess a person’s emotions or why they choose to do certain things
produce qualitative data
e:g How do you feel about The 6th Form college?
What is a closed question?
give answers to the participant and they have to choose the most appropriate one
produce quantitative data
Define ‘Structured interview’
The interviewer asks the same questions to each participant in the same order.
Define ‘Semi-structured interview’
The interviewer will have a set of pre-prepared questions to ask and is expected to ask all of them; other questions will be developed during the interview in response to answers given by the interviewee.
Define ‘Unstructured interview’
The researcher has topics to discuss but these don’t have to be in the same order for each participant. The interview is like a conversation, with further questions being developed in response to the interviewee’s answers.
Advantages of closed questions
- easy to respond to, so large amounts of data can be collected quickly. This is highly reliable and can be generalisable with a wide sample.
- The data they produce is also easy to analyse.
Disadvantages of closed questions
- low in validity,
- can have response biases,
- data can only be used to calculate a mode.
Advantages of open questions
- provide detailed responses, this increases validity.
- Variation in responses is not lost through averaging.
Disadvantages of open questions
- low in reliability,
- hard to generalise,
- can be subjective (therefore potential bias from researchers)
- data is time-consuming to analyse.
Advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews
+ These tend to be easy to analyse and are highly reliable due to the standardised procedure.
- Low in validity due to the limitations of fixed questions.
Advantages and disadvantages of semi-structured interviews
+ High in validity due to the ability of the participant to answer how they wish and the option for additional questioning.
- Reliability is lower than a structured interview but higher than unstructured due to some standardisation.
Advantages and disadvantages of unstructured interviews
+ High in validity due to depth of answers
- Low in reliability as little to no standardisation.
What are ‘Filler questions’?
Items put into a questionnaire, interview or test to disguise the aim of the study by hiding the important questions among irrelevant ones so that participants are less likely to alter their behaviour by working out the aims
