self-report techniques

• Self-report techniques

  • Questionnaires
  • Interviews (structured, unstructured, semi-structured)
• questionnaires

  • Are made up of a pre-set list of written questions (or items) to which a participant responds
  • They can be used as part of an experiment to assess the DV
  • Strength = can be distributed to lots of people
  • Gather large amounts of data quickly and researcher doesn’t need to be present
  • reduces the effort involved and makes questionnaires cost-effective
  • Strength = straightforward to analyse
  • Especially if closed, fixed choice questions are used
  • Statistical data can easily be converted to graphs and charts for comparison
  • Limitation = responses may not always be truthful
  • respondents tend to present themselves in a positive light
  • => social desirability bias is possible
  • Limitation = response bias
  • Respondents may favour a particular kind of response (eg they always agree)
  • Means all respondents tend to reply in a similar way
• Interviews

  • Face-to-face or online interaction between an interviewer and interviewee
  • Types of interview:
  • Structured Interview
  • Unstructured interview
  • Semi-structured interview
• structured interview

  • List of pre-determined questions asked in a fixed order
  • Strength = easy to replicate
  • Due to the use of a standardised format
  • And the format also reduces differences between interviewers
  • Limitation = interviewers cannot elaborate
  • Interviewers cannot deviate from the topic or explain their questions
  • May limit richness of data collected
• unstructured interview

  • No set questions = there is a general topic to be discussed but the interaction is free-flowing and the interviewee is encouraged to elaborate.
  • Strength = greater flexibility
  • Points can be followed up as they arise
  • More likely to gin insight into interviewee‘s worldview and collect unexpected information
  • Limitation = increased risk of interviewer bias
  • Closer dialogue between interviewer and interviewee
  • means more opportunity for unconscious cues
• semi-structured interviews

  • List of questions that have been worked out in advance but interviewers ask further questions based on previous answers