Self-Report Techniques

Question 1

What are the strengths and weaknesses of self-report techniques?

Answer 1

• Strong as it allows access to what people think and feel about topics in their own words
• Weak due to social desirability bias (People give ‘socially acceptable’ answers)
• Also weak as people may not actually know how they feel, causing them to make up the answers
• Also weak as the sample of participants may not be representative of the entire population

Question 2

What makes a strong questionnaire?

Answer 2

• Clarity (No ambiguity, reader must udnerstand, no double-barrelled/double negative questions)
• No bias (Questions must not lead to a particular answer, allow for social desirability bias)
• Analysable (mixture of open and closed questions)
• Structure (Filler questions, starting with easy questions, optimal sampling technique, pilot study)

Question 3

What are the two types of questions in a questionnaire?

Answer 3

• Closed questions (scales, multiple choice etc)
• Open questions (text boxes etc)

Question 4

What are the strengths of interviews?

Answer 4

• Procedures can be repeated and findings can then be confirmed
• Warrants further investigation
• Rules out casual relationships if it is not significant
• Unethical studies can be researched

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of interviews?

Answer 5

• No cause + effect relationships can be established
• Correlations only identify a link
• People may act on incorrect conclusions without knowing they are wrong