self-report techniques

Question 1

self-report technique definition

Answer 1

any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences related to a given topic

Question 2

questionnaires

Answer 2

most common type of self-report technique. they involve a list of pre-set questions to which a person responds to assess thoughts and/or feelings

Question 3

questionnaire used in experiments to

Answer 3

as part of an experiment to assess the dependent variable

Question 4

types of questions

Answer 4

open and closed

Question 5

open question

Answer 5

does not have a fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer as they wish

Question 6

data open questions produce

Answer 6

qualitative data that contains a wide range of different responses but may be difficult to analyse

Question 7

closed questions

Answer 7

offer a fixed number of responses, such as yes/no questions or rating on a scale of 1-10

Question 8

data closed questions produce

Answer 8

quantitative data which is easy to analyse but may lack the depth and detail associated with open questions

Question 9

interviews

Answer 9

a live encounter (face-to-face or over the phone) where the interviewer asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences. the questions set may be pre-set (structured) or develop as interview goes along (unstructured)

Question 10

types of interviews

Answer 10

structures, unstructured, semi-structured

Question 11

structured interviews

Answer 11

made up of pre-determined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order

Question 12

unstructured interview

Answer 12

works a lot like a conversation, there are no set questions. there is a general aim or certain topic which will be discussed, and interaction tends to be free-flowing. the interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate on their answers as prompted by the interviewer

Question 13

semi-structured interview

Answer 13

sort of interview most likely to encounter in everyday life such as job interviews. there is a list of questions that have been worked out in advance but interviewers are also free to ask follow-up questions based on previous answers

Question 14

questionnaires strengths

Answer 14

-cost effective as can gather large amounts of data quickly as can be distributed to large numbers of people
-it can be completed without the researcher being present as in the case of the postal questionnaire, which also reduces effort involved
-data produced is usually straightforward to analyse particularly when closed questions are used
-data lends itself to statistical analysis and comparisons between groups of people can be made using graphs and charts

Question 15

questionnaires limitations

Answer 15

-response given may not always be truthful as respondents may be keen to present themselves in a positive light and this may influence their answers. this is a from of demand characteristics called social desirability bias
-often produce response bias where respondents tend to reply in a similar way as respondents may fail to read questions properly and may fail to read questions properly–> acquiescence bias

Question 16

what is acquiescence bias

Answer 16

tendency to agree with the terms on a questionnaire regardless of contents of the question

Question 17

structured interviews strengths

Answer 17

-straightforward to replicate due to standardised format. this also reduced differences between interviews

Question 18

structured interviews limitations

Answer 18

-not possible to deviate from topic or explain their questions which will limit richness of data collected as well as unexpected information

Question 19

unstructured interviews strengths

Answer 19

-much more flexibility so interviewer can follow up points as they arise and is much more likely to gain insight into worldwide view of the interviewee
-skilled interviewer should be able to establish sufficient rapport of participant so resopnses are more truthful

Question 20

unstructured interview limitations

Answer 20

-interviewer bias
-analysis of data is not straightforward due to having to find relevant info and drawing conclusions may be difficult
-risk interviewees may lie for social desirability reasons