Self- Report techniques Flashcards
What is a self-report technique?
any methods in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences related to a given topic.
What is a questionnaire?
The most common type of self-report technique- a set of written questions used to assess a person’s thoughts and/or experiences.
They may be used to assess the dependent variable.
What are open questions?
Questions for which there is no fixed choice of responses and respondents can answer in any way they wish.
They produce qualitative data that contains a wide range of different responses but may be difficult to analyse.
What are closed questions?
Questions for which there is a fixed choice of responses determined by the question setter.
They produce quantitative data, which is easy to analyse but lacks in depth of detail.
What is an interview?
A ‘live’ encounter where one person (interviewer) asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences. The questions may be pre-set or may develop as the interviewer goes along.
What are the different types of interviews?
Structured, unstructured, semi-structured.
What is a structured interview?
Made up of a pre-determined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order.
Similar to a questionnaire but conducted face-to-face in real time.
What are unstructured interviews?
Works a lot like conversation, with no set questions, but there is a general aim that a certain topic will be discussed and interactions tend to be free flowing.
The interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate their answers.
What are semi-structured 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.
What are strengths of questionnaires?
• cost-effective.
• can gather large amounts of data quickly because can be distributed to a large number of people.
• doesn’t require researchers presence- reduces effort.
• data produced is straightforward to analyse- mainly in closed, fixed choice questions, lends its felt to statistical analysis.
What are the limitations of questionnaires?
• social desirability bias (type of demand characteristics)- may not be truthful. instead present themselves in a positive light.
• acquiescence bias (response bias)- tendency to agree with items of a questionnaire regardless of the contents of the question.
What is a strength of structured interviews?
Straight forward to replicate due to their standardised format.
What is the limitation of structured interviews?
Not possible for the interviewer to deviate from the topic or explain it their questions- limiting the richness of the data collected.
What is a strength of unstructured interviews?
Increase in flexibility- can ask follow up questions and more likely to gain an insight into the worldview of the interviewee.
What are the limitations of unstructured interviews?
• interview bias
• analysis of data is not straightforward- research may have to sift through irrelevant information and drawing firm conclusions may be difficult.
• social desirability bias- however a skilled and experienced interviewer she’ll be able to establish sufficient rapport.
