self-report techniques Flashcards
self-report techniques
any method in which a person is asked to state/explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences
questionnaires
a set of written questions used to assess a person’s thoughts and/or experiences
open questions
don’t have a fixed range of answers, participants free to answer in any way they wish (tends to produce qualitative data)
closed questions
offer a fixed range of answers and produce quantitative data
interview
a live encounter, where the interviewer asks a set of questions to assess the interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences
structured interviews
made up of a pre-determined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order
unstructured interviews
like a conversation, no set questions
semi-structured interviews
list of questions in advance, but follow-up questions allowed where appropriate
questionnaires- strengths
- cost-effective (gather large amounts of data quickly, distributed to large amounts of people so more volume of data)
- reduces effort. can be completed without researcher present (postal)
closed questions- strengths
data produced straightforward to analyse. lends itself to statistical analysis, comparisons between groups of people can be made w/ graphs/charts
questionnaires- limitations
- social desirability bias. responses may not be truthful so respondents can present themselves in a positive light.
- response bias, e.g. answering the same favoured end of a rating scale. acquiescence bias= tendency to agree with items on a questionnaire regardless of content of question
structured interviews- strengths
- standardised format means straightforward to replicate
- standardised format reduces differences between interviewers
structured interviews- weaknesses
less depth/detail in data as not possible for interviewers to deviate from topic or elaborate points
unstructured interviews- strengths
more flexibility than structured. interviewer can gain greater insight into interviewee’s worldview, follow up points, etc.
unstructured interviews- weaknesses
- analysis of data not straightforward. drawing firm conclusions difficult.
- social desirability bias