10. self report techniques

what self report techniques are there

1. questionnaires (open/closed questions)

2. interviews (structured/unstructured)

what is a self report technique

any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences related to a given topic

what is a questionnaire

a pre-set list of written questions (items) to which a participant responds to in order to assess their thoughts and/or feelings

they may be used as part of an experiment to assess the DV

what is an open question

• does not have a fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer in any way they wish

• tend to produce qualitative data containing a wide range of different responses, but may be hard to analyse

• can be turned into quantitative data eg counting the no. of yes and no respones

closed question

• offers a fixed number of responses

• produces quantitative data that is usually easy to analyse but may lack the depth and detail associated with open questions

strengths

• cost effective - gather large amounts of data quickly as can be distributed to large no. people

• can be completed without a researcher present (postal) which reduces effort

• data is usually straightforward to analyse particularly if mainly fixed choice closed questions - data lends itself to statistical analysis and comparisons using graphs

• straightforward to replicate

limitations

• response is not always truthful as may be keen to present themselves in a positive light and may influence answers - form of demand characteristic called social desirability bias

• often produce response bias where respondents reply in a similar way eg always ticking yes known as acquiescence bias (tendency to agree with items regardless of question content)

what is an interview

a live encounter (face to face or on the phone) where the interviewer asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences

questions may be pre-set (structured) or develop as the interview goes along (unstructured)

structured interviews

unstructured

• like a conversation

• no set questions

• general aim that a certain topic will be discussed and interaction tends to be free flowing

• interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate their answers as prompted by the interviewer

structured evaluation

• straightforward to replicate due to standardised format

• format reduces differences between interviewers

• interviewers cannot deviate from the topic or explain their questions as this will limit the richness of the data collected as well as limit unexpected information

unstructured evaluation

• more flexibility as interviewer can follow up points as they arise and is more likely to gain insight into the interviewee’s worldview, including eliciting unexpected info

• increased risk of interviewer bias

• analysis is not straightforward as researcher may have to sift through much irrelevant info and drawing firm conclusions may be difficult

• risk of social desirability bias - a skilled and experienced interviewer should be able to establish sufficient rapport so responses are more truthful