Self-report Methods

• What type of research methods are questionnaires and interviews?

  Non-experimental
• Why are questionnaires and interviews considered self-report methods?

  Participants report their own thoughts and feelings
• How are responses collected in a questionnaire?

  Written down by the participant
• How are responses collected in an interview?

  Verbal response recorded by the interviewer
• How can interviews and questionnaires be used in research?

  As a technique or standalone method
• What might researchers do with interviews and questionnaires at the end of an experiment?

  Gain information about participants' experiences
• What is a questionnaire?

  A written set of questions
• What types of questions can be included in a questionnaire?

  Open, closed, and Likert scale questions
• What is an open question in a questionnaire?

  Participants can give any answer they wish
• What type of data do closed questions produce?

  Quantitative data (numerical)
• What is a Likert scale?

  A scale showing degree of agreement
• What are the advantages of closed questions in questionnaires?

  • Produce quantitative data, easier to analyze
  • Quick, cheap, and easy to distribute
  • High population validity
  • Easy to replicate, good reliability
• What are the disadvantages of closed questions in questionnaires?

  • Social desirability bias affects internal validity
  • May force answers that don't reflect true feelings
  • Leads to lower validity
• How is an interview similar to a questionnaire?

  Both collect participant responses
• What is a structured interview?

  Questions are predetermined and fixed
• What is an unstructured interview?

  Questions are developed during the interview
• What is a semi-structured interview?

  Has predetermined questions with flexibility
• What are the advantages of interviews?

  • Collect in-depth qualitative data
  • Can also gather quantitative data
  • Easy to analyze and compare (structured)
• What are the disadvantages of interviews?

  • Interviewer bias is more likely
  • Answers may be restricted by questions asked