Self-Report Techniques Flashcards
The types of self-report techniques
Questionnaire
Interview (structured + unstructured + semi-structured)
Questionnaire
Preset written questions designed to collect information
Can discover what people think or feel
What type of information do questionnaires provide?
Qualitative + quantitative
Types of questions that can be included in questionnaires
Open + Closed
Open questions
No fixed range of answers
Respondents can answer how they wish
Produces qualitative data
Closed questions
Has fixed responses E.G- Yes or No
Produces quantitative data
Strengths of a questionnaire
Can be shared to many people quickly
May feel comfortable to reveal personal information
Open questions can lead to unexpected answers- can lead to further research
Reduces experimenter bias- found in interviews
No special training needed
Weaknesses of a questionnaire
Sample bias- who is willing to complete
Closed questions limit responses (but are easier to summarise)
Can take a long time to design
Can only be used by those who can read/write
Structured interview
Made up of predetermined questions asked in a fixed order
Like a questionnaire but in real time
Unstructured interview
More like a conversation- no set questions
General aim to what they want to discuss but interaction is free flowing
Interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate their answers as prompted
Semi-structured interview
Has a list of questions which have been planned out prior but interviewers are free to ask follow up questions based on previous answers.
Evaluation of structured interviews
Pros: Easily repeated- standardised questions
Easy to analyse
Cons: Difficult to compare is interviewer behaves differently or changes interviewer
Interviewer bias
Evaluation of unstructured interviews
Pros: Can collect more detailed information
Cons: Requires an interviewer with high skill
Questions may lack objectivity
More expensive for a more experienced interviewer
Interviewer bias
The 3 types of closed questions in self reports
Likert scales- a scale with labelled values
Fixed choice option- list of possible options, have to indicate those which apply
Rating Scale- uses a scale but each value is not indicated
