self report

Question 1

self-report method

Answer 1

refers to any data collection techniques in which participants provide information about themselves. e.g questionnaire, interview

Question 2

strength of self report methods

Answer 2

-allows participants to describe their own experiences rather than a inferring this from observing participants.

-large amounts of data can be collected fairly quickly and cheaply, which can increase representativeness and generalisability

Question 3

weakness of self report methods

Answer 3

social desirability bias can occur where participants may lie to present themselves in a socially acceptable manner, this ca reduce validity

-questions can be leading. The researcher may be forcing the participants to give a particular reply.

-questions/scales can be interpreted differently by different participants

Question 4

questionnaire (open/closed)

Answer 4

A set of written questions used to assess a person’s thoughts or experiences
Open-respondents are free to answer in any way they wish-produces qualitative data as data is rich in detail
Closed-offers a fixed number of responses-produces qualitative data as numerical data is produced

Question 5

Strengths of questionnaires

Answer 5

-data can be collected quickly as researchers do not need to be present when they are completed

-participant more likely to be honest compared to interviews as they would feel anonymous

Question 6

Weaknesses of questionnaires

Answer 6

-validity can be low as respondents do not always give truthful answers. They may lie to avoid embarrassment or may show Social desirability bias

-often produce a response bias where respondents reply in a similar way i.e. always ticking yes or answering at the same end of a rating scale

Question 7

Open questions strengths

Answer 7

-May provide unexpected answers, allowing the researchers to gain new insights into peoples feelings and attitudes.
-Better validity as respondents can answer in four detail rather than being forced to respond in a particular way

Question 8

Weaknesses of open questions

Answer 8

-Open questions are very time-consuming and expensive to interpret and analyse
-difficult to compare responses

Question 9

Strength of close questions

Answer 9

-they provide quantitative data and so the results can be easily summarised, presented and compared between respondents
-allow you to use a large sample size= easier to generalise

Question 10

Weaknesses of closed questions

Answer 10

-Respondents may be forced to select answers that do not represent their real thoughts or behaviours lowering validity
-participants me often select I do not know meaning data collected is not informative

Question 11

Interview

Answer 11

A life encounter where one person asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and experiences

Question 12

Structured interviews

Answer 12

-Structured interviews are made up of predetermined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order

Question 13

Structured interview strengths

Answer 13

-Straightforward to replicate due to the standardised format
-The format uses differences between interviewers=has control over extraneous variables

Question 14

Weaknesses of structured interviews

Answer 14

-The formality of structured interviews doesn’t allow the interviewer to build a rapport
-There is no flexibility

Question 15

Unstructured interviews

Answer 15

There are no preset questions and is more like a conversation as the interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate their answers

Question 16

Strength of unstructured interviews

Answer 16

-There is more flexibility= research gain can more valuable insights
Research can build a rapport

Question 17

Weaknesses of unstructured interviews

Answer 17

-Analysis is not straightforward as the researcher may have to sift through irrelevant information which can be time-consuming
-Low reliability and generalisability as each conversation is in great detail and not standardised