self report techniques

A questionnaire is a type of  self-report which involves participants answering a range of questions designed to collect their thoughts, feelings, attitudes, attributes and opinions.

False. A large-scale survey is a questionnaire which is distributed in large numbers to assess the extent to which people are, for example, likely to vote.

A major strength of questionnaires is that they are an easy and convenient method of gathering data.

c. Questionnaires tend to suffer from social desirability bias.

a. How do you feel about global warming? is not a closed question.

b. Closed questions generate quantitative data.

a. Have you ever shoplifted? Yes or no is not an open question.

c. As open questions generate qualitative data they can be analysed using content analysis and thematic analysis

A strength of closed questions is that they generate quantitative data which is easy to analyse.

True. A limitation of open questions is that they are difficult to analyse due to their subjective nature. The researcher must interpret meaning and intention from them which could give rise to a lack of consistency and objectivity.

b. A strength of open questions is that they have explanatory power. Open questions may ask participants to expand on the answers they give, allowing the participant to fully explain what they mean or how they feel.

True. Closed questions lack validity. The quantitative data obtained from closed questions omits the detail and insight required to understand reasons and explanations.

c. Aim, length and question construction are what a researcher must consider when designing a questionnaire.

Likert scale questions allow the participant to express the degree of their agreement with a statement.

a. One way to incorporate a lie scale on a questionnaire is to include similar questions that are re-worded versions of the original question.

c. To what extent do you agree that junk food is bad for children and should be banned from being advertised on TV? is an example of a double-barrelled question.

False. Questions that include overly technical or jargonistic terms may lead to misunderstanding or participants not knowing how to answer.

A questionnaire tends to be distributed to a group of people who fill it out on their own, whereas an interview is a one-to-one process conducted in real time (in person or remotely).

b. In a structured interview, the researcher uses pre-prepared questions.

False. Structured interviews collect only quantitative data.

The use of standardised questions in a structured interview means that the interview can be replicated and used by different researchers.

True. Using a predetermined set of questions in a **structured interview may be restrictive for both the interviewer and the participant. The participant may say something that should be explored further, **but the format of the structured interview does not allow this.

An unstructured interview involves no pre-prepared set of questions. The interview is treated as a conversation, giving the participants as much freedom as they wish in their responses.

a. Unstructured interviews produce qualitative data* *only, which is why they are also known as narrative interviews.

Unstructured interviews are high in ecological validity as participants have complete freedom to respond in any way they choose.

True. Unstructured interviews lack reliability. The free-flowing and unpredictable nature of unstructured interviews means that the entire process may become derailed, as they are difficult to control.

c. Who is to be interviewed is not a feature of the interview schedule.

Reflexivity involves the researcher acknowledging their own role in the research, e.g., their experiences, assumptions and beliefs, which could bias the interview process.

b. Trusting in their own memory of the interview is not a reliable way of recording the participant's responses.