Self-report methods

Question 1

Explain what is meant by the term ‘self-report’ (2 marks)

Answer 1

‘Self report’ refers to any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences in relation to a topic.
Examples include interviews and questionnaires.

Question 2

Distinguish between a questionnaire and an interview. (3 marks)

Answer 2

A questionnaire involves a pre-set list of written questions to which people respond whereas an interview involves a face-to-face interaction between an interviewer and an interviewee. A questionnaire can use closed or open questions whereas an interview can be structured or unstructured.

Question 3

Explain what is meant by an unstructured interview (2 marks)

Answer 3

An unstructured interview works more like a conversation. There is still a general aim/topic but there are no set questions and the interaction tends to be free-flowing. The interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate.

Question 4

Briefly evaluate the use of interviews in psychological research (4 marks)

Answer 4

A strength of using interviews is that the data may be more accurate/detailed as the questions are less likely to limit the range of answers & the detail to which they are answered, improving the validity.
A weakness of using interviews is that interviewer bias may contribute to the answers that are given - especially in unstructured interviews. This can include the opinions of the interviewer and the way the questions are phrased by different interviewers, influencing the internal validity.

Question 5

Explain one strength strength and one limitation of collecting data using a questionnaire (3 marks + 3 marks)

Answer 5

One strength of using a questionnaire is that the anonymity means that respondents are more likely to open up and reveal more, reducing the chance of social desirability bias. This increases the validity of the study as results are more likely to be accurate rather than to appear as socially acceptable.
One weakness of using a questionnaire is that only certain types of people tend to fill them out - those that are curious and keen to help. This means there may end up being a sample bias so the results cannot be generalised to the target population (poor population validity)

Question 6

Explain two issues that should be considered when designing questionnaires (4 marks)

Answer 6

One issue that should be considered when designing questionnaires is the overuse of jargon. Using technical terms that are only familiar to the interview may confuse the respondent, meaning that the quality and detail of the answer may be limited.
A second issue that should be considered when designing questionnaires is the use of leading questions. Guiding a respondent towards a specific answer through the phrasing of the question can lead to data that isn’t very valid.

Question 7

Explain two issues that should be considered when designing interviews (4 marks)

Answer 7

One issue that should be considered when designing interviews is the potential for interviewer bias. The way the interviewer acts can heavily influence the responses of the interviewee & decrease the validity, so the questions should be standardised as much as possible to reduce this.
A second issue that should be considered when designing interviews is dealing with confidentiality. In situations where sensitive information is discussed, participants should be reminded of their right to confidentiality to ensure ethical guidelines are not breached.

Question 8

Explain the difference between an open question and a closed question (2 marks)

Answer 8

Open questions refer to those that have no fixed answer and respondents can answer in any way that they wish. Closed questions, on the other hand, have a fixed response - there are three main types, likert scales, rating scales or fixed choice option.