Self-report Techniques Flashcards
What are self-report techniques
Method in which a person is asked to state/explain their own feelings and opinions related to a given topic
What is a questionnaire
Pre-set list of written questions to which participants respond, used to assess a persons thoughts and experiences
Advantages of questionnaires
-cost effective as possible to gather large amounts of data quickly as can be distributed to large number of people
-can be completed without researcher present, decreases effort
-data produced usually easy to analyse and compare
Disadvantages of questionnaires
-responses may not be truthful-social desirability bias(appear in positive light)
-response bias(tend to respond in similar way)-completing questionnaire too quickly and fail to read qs
What are open questions
They do not have a fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer in any way they wish. Produces qualitative data
What are closed questions
Offers a fixed number of responses - produces quantitative data
What are interviews
Live encounters(on phone or face-to-face) in which interviewer asks a series of questions to assess interviewees thoughts and experiences
What are structured interviews
Made up of a pre-determined set of questions asked in a fixed order
Advantage of structured interviews
Straightforward to replicate due to standardised format
Disadvantage of structured interview
Not possible to deviate from topic and elaborate on their points=gain less insight
What are unstructured interviews
No set questions but a general aim that a certain topic will be discussed and interaction is free-flowing meaning interviewee encouraged to expand and elaborate on their answers
Advantages of unstructured interviews
-more flexibility meaning able to follow up points as they arise=gain greater insight into worldview of interviewee
Disadvantages of unstructured interviews
-analysis of data difficult as have to sift through irrelevant info=may be hard to draw firm conclusion
-interviewees may lie due to social desirability
What are Likert scales
Respondent indicates their agreement with a statement from strongly agree to strongly disagree
What are rating scales
Respondents identify a value that represents their strength of feeling about a particular topic
What are fixed choice option questions
List of possible options and respondents required to indicate those that apply to them
How to conduct interviews
-interview schedule(list of questions) should be standardised to reduce interviewer bias
-conduct in quiet room away from people to increase likelihood that interviewee will open up
-start with neutral questions to relax pps and establish rapport
Four common errors in writing questions and brief explanation of each
-overuse of jargon:technical terms that are only familiar to those within a specialised field
-emotive language and leading qs:phrased in way that authors attitude towards a particular topic is clear, guides respondents towards one answer
-double-barrelled qs:contain 2 qs in 1, respondent may agree with one half and not the other
-double negatives:difficult to respondents to decipher
