self-report techniques Flashcards
what are questionnaires
involve a pre-set list of written questions to which the participant responds
explain what the difference is between open and closed questions
open - participants are free to answer anything
closed - participants are to select from limited answers
what type of data do open questions produce? what type of data do closed questions produce?
open - qualitative data
closed - quantitative
explain 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of using a questionnaire
+ more likely to get honest answers than an interview
+ quick and easy to replicate for large samples
- could have social desirability bias
- questions could be misinterpreted by participants
how could you improve the validity of a questionnaire?
including a lie scale
making them anonymous
both increase the accuracy of answers
how could you improve reliability of a questionnaire?
these can be assessed with test-retest
anything that is unreliable will need adapting (remove questions, make them clearer)
explain the different types of interview there are
structured - the questions are pre-set and all p’s asked the same
unstructured - questions not pre-set, they are developed from p’s previous answers
semi-structured - some pre-set questions, but also free to ask follow up questions
advantage and disadvantage of structured interview
+ straightforward to replicate due to their standardised format
- not possible to deviate from topic or elaborate on their points which may be frustrating
advantage and disadvantage of unstructured interview
+ more flexible, the interviewer can ask follow up points and more likely to gain insight into the interviewee
- analysis from unstructured interview is not straightforward, the researcher may have to sift through irrelevant information and drawing conclusions may be difficult
- interviewees may lie for social desirability
what is social desirability bias
social desirability bias is where participants give a ‘desirable’ answer to make themselves appear good
