self-report techniques

• self-report techniques

  Questionnaire: set of written questions used to assess a person's thoughts/experiences

  Interviews: 'Live' face to face encounter, interviewer asks set of pre set questions or may develop as they go
• Questionnaire:

  open Q: doesn't have fixed answer, respondent free to ansever in anyway, Qualitative data.

  closed Q: fixed number of responses, choose between options, quantitative data.
• Interviews:

  structured: pre-determined set of questions

  unstructured: no set questions, free flowing interaction

  semi-structured: list of questions worked out in advance, however, interviewers also allowed to ask follow up questions
• A03: Questionnaires

  STRENGTHS:

  • cost-effective
  • reduced effort- researcher not needed to be present
  • provide straightforward + easy to analyse data

  LIMITATIONS:

  • demand characteristics - social desirability bias
  • response bias - (eg. acquiscence bias)
  • acquiescence bias - Douglas Jackson + Samuel Messick (1961) - F-scale study showed positive correlation between 2 sets of results
• A03: Interviews

  structured:

  S: replication

  L: not possible to deviate from topic + data collected is limited info

  unstructured:

  S: more flexibility + can collect eliciting info

  L: can lead to interviewer bias + not straightforward data