Interviews and Questionnaires

• • Interviews and questionnaires are both examples of self-report methods
• Interviews

  • Interviews are typically face-to-face
  • can also be conducted by phone or online
  • The researcher asks questions related to the research aim, and the interviewee's responses are recorded.
  • There are three interview types:
  • Structured
  • Unstructured
  • Semi-structured
• Structured Interviews

  • Interviewer prepares questions in advance
  • follows a script.
  • Can ask follow-up questions, which are also prepared beforehand.
  • Example: A job interview is a type of structured interview.
• Unstructured Interviews

  • Flows like a conversation; less formal.
  • Minimal preparation; only a general aim is set.
  • Interviewer asks more questions based on interviewee’s responses.
  • Example exchange:
  • Interviewer: “Tell me about your childhood.”
  • Interviewee: “It was generally very happy except we moved around a lot.”
  • Interviewer: “Did moving around make you less happy?”
  • Example: An introductory counseling session is an unstructured interview
• Semi-structured Interviews

  • Most interviews in practice are semi-structured.
  • Some questions are prepared in advance, but the interviewer may ask follow-up questions based on responses.
  • Example: A GP appointment, where the GP asks planned questions and follows up with new questions based on the patient’s answer
• Strengths of Interviews

  • A lot of information is produced from each person especially unstructured interviews e.g follow up questions
  • Insight can be gained into thoughts and feelings unlike obeservations
• Weakness of interviews

  • Data can be difficult to analyse as clear comparisons can't be made because of the variation of questions
  • Takes time/effort/money
  • Possible demand characteristics
  • Investigator effects – when investigator’s behaviour impacts results
  • Social desirability – lying to look better
  • Difficult to investigate sensitive topics as people are less comfortable giving personal information face to to face
  • this limits the information collected
• Questionnaires

  • Questionnaires, or surveys, consist of a list of written questions for participants to answer.
  • Can be completed face-to-face, by phone, online, or by post.
  • Used as a data collection method on their own or to measure the dependent variable in an experiment.
• Open Vs Closed questions

  • Questionnaires usually include both open and closed questions.
  • Open questions: No fixed range of possible answer options; respondents answer freely, producing qualitative data.
  • Closed questions: Fixed answer options and do not alloe for elaboration (e.g., yes/no, rating scales), producing quantitative data.
• Strengths of Questionnaires

  • Allows the researcher to gather information from lots of people cheaply and relatively quickly- can be sent to many people
  • This means generalisations are easier to make
  • If using all closed questions, this allows for quantitative data which is easier to analyse and draw conclusions
  • All participants receive the same set of questions – standardisation.
• Weakness of questionnaires

  • Social desirability bias still exists affecting validity of responses and validity of data collected
  • Questions might be misinterpreted or worded in a way that suggests a certain answer (leading question) so its difficult to answer questions and responses may lack validity
  • Low response rates