7b observations

• What are self-reports in psychology?


  Questionnaires or interviews where participants provide information
• What is a psychometric measure?


  A test assessed for validity and reliability through psychological testing
• What is a strength of self-reports?


  They provide rich quantitative data as participants describe their own experiences
• How can self-reports explain the reasons behind behavior?


  They allow participants to articulate their thoughts and feelings
• What is a limitation of self-reports related to social desirability bias?


  Participants may provide untruthful responses to appear favorable
• What is required for self-reports to be useful?


  Participants must be willing to disclose information
• What is acquiescence bias in self-reports?


  It is the tendency of people to agree with statements regardless of their true feelings
• How might participants misinterpret questions in self-reports?


  Participants may interpret questions subjectively
• What are questionnaires?


  A written self-report technique where participants respond to a set number of questions
• How can questionnaires be administered?


  In person, by post, online, or in groups
• How should questions in a questionnaire be designed?

  They should progress logically from least sensitive to most, and general to more specific
• What type of questions are Likert scales?


  Rating scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree
• What are closed questions?


  Questions that provide a limited number of choices for answers
• What type of data do closed questions collect?


  Quantitative data
• What are open questions?


  Questions that allow participants to give full, detailed answers without restrictions
• What type of data do open questions collect?

  Qualitative data
• What are standardised instructions?


  A set of written or recorded instructions given to participants to ensure consistency
• Why are standardised instructions used?


  To reduce extraneous variables or investigator effects
• What are filler questions?


  Questions included in a questionnaire to disguise the aim of the study
• What are the strengths of questionnaires?


  They can collect large amounts of data and reduce social desirability bias
• What are the limitations of questionnaires?


  They may not affect participants' opinions and produce less rich data than interviews
• What is an interview?


  Asking participants questions and recording their responses
• What are structured interviews?


  Interviews with predetermined questions, essentially a face-to-face questionnaire
• What are unstructured interviews?


  Interviews that may start with predetermined questions but then move into less structured conversation
• What are semi-structured interviews?


  Interviews that have some predetermined questions and some adapted based on responses
• What is an interview schedule?


  A list of questions that the interviewer intends to cover
• How can researchers take notes during interviews?


  In a quiet room away from others to ensure accuracy
• What is an interview transcript?


  A written record of audio recordings turned into text
• What considerations need to be taken for interviews?


  The presence of the interviewer may increase the amount of data provided
• What are the strengths of structured interviews?


  They are standardised, replicable, and quick to conduct
• What are the limitations of structured interviews?


  They cannot deviate from the topic or elaborate, producing quantitative data that lacks insight
• What are the strengths of unstructured interviews?


  They offer more flexibility, allowing for richer data and deeper insight
• What are the limitations of unstructured interviews?


  They are difficult to analyze due to the lack of numerical value and may not be truthful due to social desirability bias
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of questionnaires?


  Strengths:

  • Large amounts of data can be collected
  • Social desirability bias is reduced due to lack of interviewer

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • May not affect participants' opinions
  • Quantitative data produces less rich data than interviews
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of structured interviews?


  Strengths:

  • Standardised and replicable
  • Quick to conduct

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Cannot deviate from topic or elaborate
  • Quantitative data produced lacks insight
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of unstructured interviews?


  Strengths:

  • More flexibility for richer data and deeper insight

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Difficult to analyze qualitative data
  • May not be truthful due to social desirability bias