Self report techniques

• what are self report techniques


  when a person is reporting their own thoughts/feelings. This includes questionnaires and interviews. They lack objectivitiy
• what does social desirability bias mean


  a tendency for respondents to answer questions in a way that presents themselves in a better light
• what are questionnaires

  • pre set list of written questions to which the participants respond
  • they have to be designed without ambiguity - have to be clearly defined
  • no double barrelled questions (2 in 1 questions) or double negatives
  • avoid leading questions
  • avoid complexity e.g. avoid jargon and use clear english and the use of emotive language
• open questions in a questionnaire

  • does not have a fixed range on answers and participants are free to respond in any way
  • produces qualitative data - rich in detai but hard to analyse
• what are closed questions

  • offers a fixed number of responses
  • rating qs or yes/no qs
  • quantitative data is produced - easy to analyse but lacks depth and detail
• advantage of questionnaires

  • less expensive as large amounts of data can be gathered from lots of people as it can be quickly distributed
  • it can be completed without a researcher - less effort
  • answers from closed qs are straghtforward as data lends itself to statistical analysis and comparisons can be made on graohs and charts
• disadvantages of questionnaires

  • responses may not be truthful as participants are keen to present themselves in a positive light, which influences the answer
  • social desirability bias!!
  • questionnaires have a low response rate as participants may complete questionnaires too quickly and fail to read the questions properly
• designing interviews

  • have to consider same things as questionnaire
  • need to decide how structured the interview will be
  • behaviour of interviewer - could influence participant reaction
• unstructured interview

  • no set questions
  • conversation is free flowing
  • general aim is that a certain topic will be discussed
• semi structured interview

  • list of questions wrote out in advance but interviewers are free to ask for follow ups where needed
• structured interview

  • pre determined set of questions - question checklist
  • fixed order
  • it is like a questionnaire conducted fact to face
• advantages of interviews

  • unstructured interviews have more flexibility than questionnaire as they can follow up points as they arise and they are more likely to gain insight of the world view of the interviewee
• disadvantages of interviews

  • answers from unstructured interviews are often harder to analyse as irrelevant information may be given
  • drawing fir conclusions may be difficult
  • interviewees may lie due to social desirability bias
  • much more expensive to collect data as unlike in a questionnaire, it cannot be distributed to a large number of people and a researcher is required
• What is the difference between a questionnaire and an interview

  • Questionnaire - written set of questions that respondents answer independently
  • Interview - involves a direct conversation between the interviewer and the respondent
• Ethical issues to consider with a questionnaire

  • Confidentiality + privacy - questions may be intrusive
  • Withdrawal - participants may not know of their right to withdraw their data 
• Longer guide to designing an interview

  • Conducted in a quiet room away from others - interviewee more likely to open up - interview could also be conducted in a place that will remind the participants of more info to answer questions accurately e.g taking eyewitness to the crime scene
  • Interviewer may record interview to ensure that they are listening and not constantly taking notes
  • Interview should start with neutral questions to make interviewee comfortable
  • Interviewer needs to consider confidentiality by reminding interviewee that answers will be treated with the strictest confidence
• What is an interview schedule


  List of questions an interviewer should cover
• What does it mean if an interview is standardised


  When a test is made uniform or set to adhere to a specific standard
• What is interviewer bias


  When the expectations or opinions of the interviewer interferes with the interviewee's judgement

  It may occur in unstructured interviews
• Different question types in a questionnaire

  • Likert scale
  • Rating scale
  • Fixed - choice scale
• Likert scale


  Respondent indicates their agreement to a statement using a scale if usually 5 point that ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree
• Rating scales


  Respondent has to identify a value that represents their strength of feeling about a particular topic
• Fixed choice option 


  Incldes a list of possible options and respondents are required to indicate the ones that apply to them
• What is interviewer effect


  The way the appearance of behaviour of the interviewer may influence the answers of the respondent, leading to a bias in the findings.