Self-Report Techniques

Question 1

What are the two types of self-report techniques?

Answer 1

• Interviews
• Questionnaries

Question 2

What is self-report?

Answer 2

When a person reports on their own feelings/thoughts/behaviours themselves

Question 3

What are questionnaires?

Answer 3

Are made up of pre-set written questions (or items) such a particpant responds to

Used as a part of an experiment to assess the DV

Question 4

Strength of questionnaires

Can be disturbed to large amount of people

Answer 4

• Can gather large amounts of data quickly and researcher needs to not be present when completed
• Reduces the effort involved and makes questionnaires cost-effective

Question 5

Strength of questionnaries

Respondents may be willing to open up

Answer 5

• Respondents may share more personal information than in interview as they are less-self conscious - (often annoymus)
• May be less chance of social desirability bias compard to interview

Question 6

Disadvantage of questionnaries

Responses may not always be truthful

Answer 6

• Respondents tend to be present themselves in positive light
• Thus social desirability bias is still possible
• response bias

Question 7

Disadvantages of questionnaries

Response bias

Answer 7

• Respondents may favour a particular kind of response e.g they always agree
• This means all resondents tend to reply a similar way
• Questionaries lack detail whereas interviews aren;t- can’t get clarification

Question 8

Differences between questionnaries and interviews

Answer 8

• No researcher needs to be present - clarification is absent

Question 9

What example in psychology uses questionaries to collect data?

Answer 9

Personality test - clinical trials - assess mental disorders

Question 10

What are interviews?

Answer 10

• Face-to face interaction between interviewer and iterviewee

Question 11

What is a structured interview?

Answer 11

A list of pre-determined questions asked in a fixed order/standardied order

structure based on close-ended questions

e.g job interview

Question 12

Advantage of structured interviews

Easy to replicate

Answer 12

• Straightforward to replicate because of standard format
• Format reduces differences between interviewers - reliable

Question 13

Disadvantage of structured interviews

Interviewers cannot elaborate

Answer 13

• Interviewees cannot deviate from the topic or elaborate their points
• May be source of frustration fo some

Question 14

What is unstructured interview?

Answer 14

There are no set questions

There is a general topic to be discussed but interaction is free-flowing and interviewee encouraged to elaborate

Question 15

Advantage of unstructured interviews

Greater flexibilty

Answer 15

• Unlike structured interview, points can be followed up as they arise
• Most likely to gain insight into interviewee’s worldview

Question 16

Disadvantage unstructured interviews

Difficult to replicate

Answer 16

• Such interviews lack structure and not standardised
• Greater risk of interviewer bias

Question 17

What are semi-structured interviews?

Answer 17

List of questions that have been worked out in advance but interviewers are free to ask follow-up questions when appropriate

Question 18

What are closed questions?

Answer 18

Respondent has limited choices - pre-divided cateogories

Data is quantitative

e.g How many subjects you take?

How old are you?

Scale from 1-10

Question 19

Advantage of closed questions

Easier to analyse

Answer 19

• Can produce graphs and charts for comparison
• Makes it easier to draw conclusions
• Because standardised

Question 20

Disadvantages of closed questions

Respondents are restrictied

Answer 20

• Forced into an answer that may not be representative of their true feelings
• Reduce validity of findings
• (nOT ENOUGH TO SUPPLY FEELINGS ON TOPIC)

Question 21

What are the open questions?

Answer 21

Allow respondents provide their own answers expressed in their own words

data is qualtative

e.g Why you start smoking?

How , what you feel

Question 22

Advantage of open questions

Respondents not restricted

Answer 22

• Answers are more likely to provide detailed ,unpredicable information
• Likely to have more validity than statistics
• Unlimited amount of answers and unlinted rangfe of questions asked

Question 23

Disadvantage of open questions

Difficult to analyse

Answer 23

• Wider variety of answers than produced by quantatitive data
• Take time and effort to process answers
• Analsysi may be expensive

May be forced to reduce data to statistics

Question 24

Design of interviews:

Answer 24

• Interview schelude: Standarised list of questons interview would cover - reduce interviewer bias
• Quiet room - increase likelhood of interviewee opening up
• Rapport - Begin with neutral questions to make interviewee relaxed
• Ethics: Remind interviewees that answers treated in confidential

Question 25

Design of questionaires

Answer 25

• Avoid jargon - Do you agree that maternal deprivation in infanthood inevitably leads to affectionless psychopathy
• Avoid double-barralled questions - Do you agree that footballs are overpaid and should give 20 %of their wages to charity?
• Avoid leading quetions - Do you agree boxing is barbaric?

Question 26

What is type of data collected in questionaires?

Answer 26

Qualtative and

Quantatiive

Question 27

What is problem with questionaires + interviews

Answer 27

Screw you effevt

Social desirability

Question 28

Examples of open questions

‘What life is like in Sixth Form?’

Answer 28

• What do you plan to do after sixth forum?
• What extracirrcular activties do you do?

Question 29

Examples of closed questions

‘What life is like in Sixth Form?’

Answer 29

• Is Sixth forum difficult? Scale from 1-10
• How many subjects do you take?
• Is sixthforum your choice or influenced by your parents?
• How old are you?