self report techniques Flashcards
what is a questionnaire
a questionnaire involves a lot of pre- set list of written questions (or items)
what do psychologists use questionnaires for
psychologists use questionnaires to assess thoughts and/ or feelings
e.g. a study may simply consist of a question to find out the kind of dreams people have or a long list of questions/ items designed to assess an individual’s personality type
what are questionnaires used to assess
questionnaires may be used to assess the dependent variable
e.g. whether views on legalisation of specific recreational drugs are different in older and younger people
what are open questions
open questions does not have a fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer any way they wish
They tend to produce qualitative data that is rich in depth and detail
what are closed questions
closed questions offer a fixed number of responses
e.g. could be yes or no or on a scale of 1-10
it will be easier to analyse but may lack the depth and detail associated with open questions. Closed questions that produce qualitative data can be turned into quantitative data by, for example counting the numbers if yeses and noes
where can interviews be conducted
some interviews may be conducted over the most phone
most interviews involve interactions between an interviewer and interviewee
what are the two types of interviews
there are two broad types of interviews:
- structured
- unstructured
what is a structured interview
structured interviews are made up of a pre - determined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order
- like a questionnaire but conducted face - to face ( or over the phone) in real life
what is an unstructured interview
unstructured interviews work like and conversation.
There is no set questions.
There is a general aim that a certain topic will be discussed and interactions tend to be free - flowing. The interviewee is encouraged to explain and elaborate their answers as prompted by the interviewer
what is a semi structured interviews
many interviews tend to fall between the two types described
e.g. job interviews ( these interviews occur in everyday life)
There is a list of questions that have been worked on in advance but interviewers are also free to ask follow up questions when they feel appropriate
what are the strengths of questionnaires
- cost effective
they can gather large amounts of data quickly because they can be distributed to large numbers of people - can be completed without the interviewer being present
- data produced from questionnaires is usually straightforward to analyse
This is mainly the case if the questionnaire comprises mainly of fixed choice questions. This data lends itself to statistical analysis, and comparisons between groups of people can be made using graphs and charts
what is a strength of structured interviews
straight forward to replicate to their standard format. The format also reduces differences between interviewers
what is a limitation of structured interviews
it was not possible given the nature of the structured interview, for interviewers to deviate form the topic or elaborate their points, and this may be a source of frustration for some people
what is a strength of unstructured interviews
there is more flexibility in an unstructured interview than a structured interview.
This is because interviewer can follow up points as they arise and is much more likely to gain insight into the worldview of the interviewee
what are some limitations of unstructured interviews
analysis of data from an unstructured interview is not straightforward - the researcher may ave to sit through irrelevant info and drawing a firm confirmation may be difficult
-interviewees may lie for reasons of social desirability.
However, a skilled and experienced interviewer should be able to establish sufficient rapport with the participant so that even when sensitive and personal topics are discussed, any responses given are more truthful
