Self report methods Flashcards
(24 cards)
What are self report techniques
-Self report techniques are techniques in which participants reveal information about themselves in response to a series of questions
What are the different self report methods
-Questions can either be asked face to face in:
INTERVIEWS
-This is when the participant reveals information in response to direct questions from the researcher (can take place face to face or over call/video call)
or QUESTIONNAIRES
-This is when the participant reveals information about themselves in response to a series of questions that is sent to them (can be an online form or sent through the post)
Advantages of questionnaires
-Questionnaires do not require a trained interviewer and are easy to distribute, making the collection of large data samples cheap and easy
-The use of closed questions in questionnaires allows for an easy comparison of results
Disadvantage of questionnaires
-Questions that are not understood by participants cannot be reworded
-Some participants do not take questionnaires seriously, this can lead to aquiesce bias, where participants answer “yes” to every question; this can skew results
Advantage of interviews
-Interviewers can rephrase a question if the participant does not understand the original question
-Interviewers can build rapport with the participants, making the more likely to take the interview seriously, disclose more and respond more truthfully
Disadvantage of interviews
-They require an interview, this significantly increases the cost per participant, especially if a trained interviewer is required
-Interviewer bias could occur and the participant could change their responses based on the personal characteristics of the interviewer
Open questions
-Open questions are phrased in a way that allows the participant to answer in any way they want e.g “What do you think about (insert topic)”
-This produces qualitative data (non numerical)
Advantage of open questions
-As the participants are given more freedom in their responses, this can lead to more true (valid) responses from participants
Disadvantage of open questions
-However, since qualitative data is produced, it is much more difficult to make comparisons between large numbers of participant responses, as it is much harder to establish patterns in responses
Closed questions
-Closed questions are phrased in a way that limits participant responses to only a few fixed options e.g “do you like (insert topic) yes or no”
-Closed questions produce quantitative data (numerical)
Advantage of closed questions
-Since closed questions use quantitative data, it is much easier to make comparisons between large numbers of participant responses as patterns in responses are less difficult to establish
Disadvantage of closed questions
-However, since participant responses are limited to only a few fixed options, the responses are less likely to be completely true (valid)
-Participant responses may just be the best fit to the question, rather than how they really feel
Techniques an interviewer should use when conducting a self report interview/ questionnaire
-An interviewer should AVOID THE USE OF COMPLEX TERMINOLOGY as a participant who does not understand the phrasing may be too embarrassed to ask the interviewer to explain the question (interview) or be unable to have the question explained to them (questionnaire). This can lead to inaccurate responses from participants
-An interviewer should be able to REWORD QUESTIONS that the participant did not understand in a way that does not change the meaning of the question and in turn the response from the participant
-LEADING QUESTIONS bias the participant responses in one direction, interviewers can avoid this by not asking questions where there is a “correct way” of answering them e.g “Why did you think the task was difficult”
-Researchers can use PILOTING QUESTIONS; conducting a small-scale version of the interview/ questionnaires to identify confusing questions, which questions reveal the aim or do not produce useful participant responses
-Interviewers can use FILLER QUESTIONS (questions that are not linked to the research aim) to build rapport (trust/confidence) with participants and hide the aim of the research. This means the responses from participants are more likely to be true (valid) and that there is a reduced chance of demand characteristics
Structured interview
-A structured interview is when the interviewer reads out a full list of prepared questions as they were written
Advantages of a structured interview
-The interviewer does not need to be trained in order to conduct a structured interview
-Participant responses are more easily compared due to the use of the same questions
Disadvantages of structured interviews
-However, in a structured interview, participant responses cannot be followed up with an additional question that provides more detail
What is an unstructured interview
-An unstructured interview is when the interviewer does not have a set list of questions that they are going to ask
-It is more of an open conversation about a topic
Advantages of unstructured interviews
-Unstructured interviews gives the interviewer an opportunity to build rapport/trust/confidence with the participant, making the participant feel more comfortable, allowing them to disclose more, and increasing the likelihood that the participant’s responses are truthful (valid)
-Unstructured interviews also allow interviewers to ask additional follow-up questions after participant responses, potentially gaining more useful information
Disadvantages of unstructured interviews
-However, comparisons between participant responses are more difficult as different questions are used with different participants
-For unstructured interviews the interviewer has to be trained to think up appropriate questions in the moment
Semi structured interview
-Semi structured interview is a combination of prepared questions, with the ability to ask follow-up questions after certain participant responses
Advantages of semi structured
-Interviewers can build rapport with the participant, making the participant feel more comfortable so that they disclose more, and the responses are truthful (valid)
-The interviewer is still able to ask follow up questions after certain participant responses, allowing them to gather more useful information
-Comparisons are more easily made between participant responses as the same questions are used
Disadvantages of semi structured
-The interviewer has to be trained in order to ask appropriate questions in the moment
General evaluation of self report techniques
-interviews and questionnaires are easily replicated when using the same questions
-Closed questions allow for comparison of participant responses while open questions allow participants to freely report their experience
-However, self report techniques often suffer from social desirability bias, as participants will answer in a certain way to make themselves “look good” in front of the interviewer
Examples of potential bias in self report techniques
-Demand characteristics: Participants may guess the aim of the study from the questions which can lead to them answering questions in the way that they think the researchers want
-Researcher bias: the researcher could interpret participant responses to open questions in a way that confirms their research hypothesis (this can be unintentional)
