Interviews

• Interviews are a self report method they involve is liar characteristics to questionnaires but are normally front to face.
• Interviews are best suited when rich qualitative data is required
• Structured interviews have predetermined questions in a set order. Tend to involve closed questions and quantitive data
• Unstructured interviews involve questions that are not in a set format. They are informal with only a set topic phrasing is all up to the interviewer. The data is qualitative and open questions
• Semi structured interviews have set questions but leave the interviewer to explore the answers further. They can produce qualitative or quantitive data
• Good practice in interviews

  • Establish rapport (for honesty getting a higher validity)
  • Non-judgmental langauge
  • No leading questions
  • Ethical issues avoided by using sensitivity and confidentiality
• Researcher bias

  • Gender ethnicity status and personality
  • Leading questions (interviewers expectations)
• Interviews do not establish a cause and effect relationship
• Structured interviews may simplify complex human behaviour or meaning may be lost due to restricted detail leading to a drop in validity
• Unstructured interviews lack reliability as they are hard to replicate