Self Report Flashcards
Closed questions a&d
Advantages Quantitative- objective and reliable Easy to analyse Less personal- easier to answer Quick Disadvantages Not detailed, less internal validity Limited Miss important info Standard response set
Open questions a&d
Advantages Qualitative- high internal validity, real answers, detailed info Not limited Disadvantages Less reliable Subjective Tricky to analyse More personal Time consuming
Rating scales
Can relate to attitudes towards something or emotions and feelings
How much do you like marmite?
1- really dislike 2-dislike 3-like
Advantages: more open then closed questions, get direction and strength of opinion, easy to analyse and quick
Disadvantages: less internal validity, less detail or ‘real’, miss out on ‘wby’- limited, standard response set
Likert scales
A statement and you indicate how far you agree on a scale
Owning a pet gives you happiness
Strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree, strongly disagree
Semantic differentials
Indicate between bipolar adjectives where your feelings lie about an ‘attitude object’
Big _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ small
Quiet, loud, boring, exciting
Structured interviews
Set questions
Advantages:
Reliable, easier to analyse, stay on topic, quicker, easier to make comparisons
Disadvantages:
Can’t ask follow up qs, low ecological validity, robotic, not reflecting real life conversations
Semi-structured interviews
Set questions and follow up
Advantages:
Happy medium, follow up questions are useful, qualitative and quantitative, high ecological validity
Disadvantages:
Reliability, not standardised, hard to compare
Unstructured interview
Topics to discuss without set questions
Advantages:
High ecological validity, rich detail, high rapport
Disadvantages:
Low internal reliability , hard to analyse, might get off topic, time consuming
Questionnaires a&d
Advantages:
High external and internal reliability, not face to face- less intrusive with sensitive topics, quick and easy, can send out hundreds at a time (larger sample), compare data
Disadvantages:
Easy to lie- low internal validity, low ecological validity- doesn’t reflect real life, don’t see non verbal communication, standard response set
Interview a&d
Advantages:
non verbal communication- see past lies, higher ecological validity- replicated real life situation, rapport
Disadvantages:
Uncomfortable, person, time consuming, low external (small sample) or internal reliability, hard to analyse/compare, social desirability bias
Ethics in questionnaires and interviews
Asking for name, age of sex is bad for confidentiality
Irrelevant smokescreen questions and hiding the purpose is bad for deception
Sensitive or personal issues asked about are bad for protection from harm
If you’re told you have to answer all qs bad for right to withdraw
If they are not told someone to contact at the end if they have questions that’s bad for debriefing
Problems for validity in questionnaires or interviews
Leading questions, social desirability bias, forced choice questions, demand characteristics, standard repose set, researcher bias
Problems for internal reliability in questionnaires or interviews
All about procedure!!!
Small amount of questions asked, some respondents can answer infront of friends, some on their own, unstructured interviews (different people asked different questions), ambiguous questions that could be interpreted differently, no checking of split half reliability
Is there standardisation?
Problems for external reliability in questionnaires or interviews
All about sample!!!
Not repeated with different groups to see similar results, low response rate
Is there enough to find consistent effect?
Levels of data: nominal
Tally or frequency chart
Lowest level of data
‘Headcount’ of those who do one thing opposed to another
