self report techniques

• questionnaires - most common type of self report technique. involves a pre-set list of written questions to which a participant responds.

  can be used t measure the dv

  psychologists use questionnaires to assess thoughts/feelings
• open + closed questions

  • open - no fixed range of answers + respondents are free to answer in any way, tends to produce qualitative data (produces in depth detail) that contains a wide range of different responses but may be difficult to analyse
  • closed - offers a fixed number of responses i.e yes or no (qualitative) or rating from 1-10 (quantitive). quantitative data is usually easy to analyse but may lack detail+depth associated with open q's
  • closed q's that produce qualitative data can be turned into qualitative data by e.g counting the no. of times ppl said yes/no
• interviews - valid methods for collecting data, as we gather a detailed insight into the individual's thoughts and behaviours

  • structured - made up of pre-determined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order
  • unstructured - like a convo, no set of questions, there is a general aim that a certain topic will be discussed -> interaction tends to be free-flowing. interviewee elaborates their answers
  • semi-structured - in-between the 2 types above, e.g a job interview -> has set q's but interviewer can also free to ask follow-up questions based on previous answers
• Interviews ensure standardisation in data collection by using a predetermined set of questions that are asked in the same order and manner to all participants, minimising bias and ensuring consistent data collection.
• questionnaires - strengths

  • cost effective, they can gather large amounts of data quickly because they can be distributed to large numbers of people
  • can be completed without researcher being present thus reduces the effort involved
  • the data questionnaires produce is usually straightforward to analyse esp. if there are closed q's
  • data consists of statistical analysis + comparisons btwn groups of people using graphs and charts
• questionnaires - limitations

  • responses aren't always truthful as respondents may be keen to present themselves in a positive light which may influence their answers, this is due to social desirability bias
  • often produces response bias, where respondents tend to reply in a similar way e.g always saying yes to finish the q's quickly -> acquiescence bias - tendency to agree with items on a questionnaire regardless of the content of the question
• structured interviews - strengths

  • straightforward to replicate due to standardised format
  • the format also reduces differences between interviewers
• structured interviews - limitations

  • not possible for interviewers to deviate from the topic or explain their questions + this will limit the richness of the data collected as well as limit unexpected info
• unstructured interviews - strengths

  • much more flexibility as the interviewer can follow up points so it is more likely to gain insight into the worldview of the interviewee, even unexpected information
• unstructured interviews - weaknesses

  • may lead to an increased risk of interviewer bias + analysis of unstructured data is hard to analyse as is it qualitative and not straightforward. researcher will have to sift through irrelevant information + drawing firm conclusions may be difficult
• interviewer effects- the way the appearance or behaviour of the interviewer may influence the answers of the respondents leading to bias in the findings. e.g like ethnicity, gender, age and body lang can lead to IE
• good interview

  • where should interview be conducted
  • how can interviewer ensure they are listening and not always writing notes
  • how should the interviews start
  • what would be an important ethical issue that the interviewer should consider
  • reming them that the interview will be kept confidential esp if the data is personal or sensitive
• interview schedule

  • most interviews involve an interview schedule which is a list of questions that the interviewer should cover.
  • interviews ensure standardisation in data collection by using a predetermined set of questions that are asked in the same order and manner to all participants minimising interviewer bias and ensuring consistent data collection.
• good questionnaire

  • clarity - essential bcs interviewees may get confused + will have a negative impact on the data

  avoid these as they LEAD to interviewer bias:

  • overuse of jargon - (technical terms that are only familiar to people in the field -> too confusing, q's should be simple+ easily understood
  • emotive lang.+ leading q's - researcher's attitude towards a particular topic may be clear from how question is phrased e.g "boxing is a barbaric sport, any sane person would want it banned." words "barbaric" and "sane" are emotive so should be replaced with neutral alternatives.
• avoid

  • leading q's guide the respondent towards a particular answer
  • double barrelled+ double negative - a double barrelled question contains 2 questions in 1 -> the issue being respondents may agree with one half of the q and not the other.
  • double negative - can be difficult for respondents to decipher i.e "not unhappy/not unclear" etc.
• types of categories closed questions can be sorted into

  • likert
  • rating
  • fixed choice