Self Report Techniques Flashcards
what are self-report techniques?
Any technique/method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviors and/or experiences related to a given topic.
Questionnaires and Interviews are the most common techniques.
what are the different types of questions?
OPEN – a question that can be answered in any way the participant chooses. They usually start with: how, why, when, what, where.
CLOSED – Limits the responses that can be made (usually YES/NO type answers).
LIKERT SCALE – A scale is offered for participants to select from.
what are the 2 types of data?
QUALITATIVE – This is data that consists of words that describes the participants views.
QUANTITATIVE – Data that can be reduced to numbers and quantities.
what are interviews?
Meeting participants face to face and asking questions.
what are the different types of interviews?
Structured – pre–set order of open or closed questions that is not deviated from
Semi-Structured – schedule of questions but interviewer has flexibility to follow up on some responses as necessary
Unstructured – questions are mainly open and structure of interview is flexible for each ppt
Group Interview – a dozen or so respondents are interviewed together (The role of the interviewer is to make sure the group interact with each other and do not drift off topic)
what are questionnaires?
- A set of written questions used to assess a persons thoughts or experiences.
- Can obtain both qualitative (written) and quantitative (numerical) data.
- Can have both open and closed questions or a likert scale.
Data collected from questionnaires is usually used to make generalisations and is used for large sample sizes.
issues affecting interviews
Leading Questions – Wording a question so that the reponsdant is encouraged to respond in a particular way e.g. Do you agree most global warming is caused by carbon emissions?
Demand characteristics – a person may feel they have to give a specific/appropriate answer with the interviewer in front of them.
Interviewer bias – an interviewer of the opposite gender or a different race etc may cause a person to change their behaviour.
issues affecting questionnaires
Leading Questions – Wording a question so that the respondent is encouraged to respond in a particular way e.g. Do you agree most global warming is caused by carbon emissions?
Ambiguity – Questions that could be interpreted differently by different people e.g. What is your mood?
Complicated questions – Difficult vocabulary or complicated phrasing may prevent people from understanding a questionnaire.
Too many questions – People are less likely to respond to a questionnaire with too many questions or may get fed up and therefore not respond properly. Could lead to RESPONSE BIAS.
strengths of questionnaires
cost - can provide lots of data at cheap cost.
quick - closed questions are quick to answer and objective
reliable - questions are standardized so easy to check for reliability.
weaknesses of questionnaires
detail - fixed responses so can’t elaborate
validity - closed questions can’t be 100% valid as they only allow for certain responses.
evaluation structured interviews
+ Reliable - easy to replicate and use with many participants.
+ Objective as questions are pre-determined and their effects on participants more thought out.
- Detail - closed questions – there is little/no opportunity for participants to elaborate on answers
- Less valid- produces a limited range of answers
evaluation unstructured interviews
+ More flexible and likely to receive more in-depth answers.
+ Validity - It gives the interviewer the opportunity to probe for a deeper understanding or ask for clarification.
- Less reliable as every participant receives different questions.
- Experimenter effects – The interviewer may influence responses with his own questions.
evaluation group interviews
+ It is cheaper and more time efficient.
- Participants may lie in order to conform compromising the accuracy of the findings (social desirability).
