Self-report techniques

Question 1

What are the two types of self-report techniques?

Answer 1

Questionnaires and Interviews

Question 2

What is a questionnaire?

Answer 2

A type of self-report technique where participants provide information relating to their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Question 3

What 3 things do questionnaires comprise of?

Answer 3

Open questions, closed questions and a mixture of both.

Question 4

Explain
- What are open questions
- What kind of data they generate and why
- Why their responses are helpful

Answer 4

Questions that allow participants to answer however they wish which generates qualitative data since there is no fixed number of responses to select from. The responses to open questions can provide detailed data that can further provide insight into human behaviour.

Question 5

Evaluate open questions

Answer 5

• A strength is that there is less chance of researcher bias if the questionnaire is also anonymous since the participants can answer the question in their own words without being influenced by the researcher’s expectations.
• A limitation is that participants may answer in a socially desirable way to portray themselves in the best light possible. This means that the open response may lack validity since it is not their natural response.

Question 6

What are closed questions, what kind of data do they generate and what are the different types of closed questions?

Answer 6

Closed questions are questions that restrict the participant to a predetermined set of responses and generate quantitative data. Different types include:
- Checklist
- Likert response scale
- Ranking scale

Question 7

Explain the three different types of closed questions.

Answer 7

Checklist
- the type of question where participants tick the answers that apply to them.

Likert response scale:
- the type of question where participants rate on a scale their views/opinions on a question.

Ranking scale:
- the type of question where participants place a list of items in their preferred order (ranking)

Question 8

Evaluate closed questions.

Answer 8

• A strength of using closed questions is that the data collected is quantitative data which is easy to analyse statistically and graphically. It is also useful in making direct comparisons between groups of people which allows researchers to look for patterns and trends in data.
• A limitation of using closed questions is that they often produce response bias which can occur when the participant doesn’t take time to read the question and randomly selects answers for each one. This results in the data being generated to lack in internal validity since the responses are not true to nature by the individuals.

Question 9

What are interviews?

Answer 9

A type of self-report technique that normally takes place face to face or over a telephone

Question 10

State and explain the 3 different types of interviews.

Answer 10

Structured interviews
- This is when the questions are decided on advance and are asked in exactly the same order for each interview. The interviewer will use an interview schedule and often record the answers.

Unstructured
- This is when the interview is conducted more like a conversation where the interviewer is facilitating the discussion rather than asking set questions. This type of interview usually produces a lot of qualitative data and the answers are usually recorded.

Semi-structured
- These interviews consist of mostly prepared questions that can be supplemented with additional questions when seen fit by the interviewer at the time. This type of interview also produces qualitative data.

Question 11

Evaluate structured interviews.

Answer 11

Structured
- It is easy to analyse quantitative data which is useful because it allows direct comparisons to be made between people and the researcher can also look for trends and patterns within the data. Since the questions are standardised and asked in the same sequence every time, the interview can be easily replicated by other researchers.
- There are increased risks of investigator effects. The interviewer may unconsciously bias any response given to the question by their tone of voice or body language. This means that the participants could show demand characteristics which would affect the data collected.