Interviews

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Interviews

Advantages

  • Detailed, qualitative information can be obtained and it allows the researcher to clarify the significance of the information being provided.
  • Allows the participant to freely express themselves.
  • Unstructured interviews may encourage the participant to be more honest in their answers - new lines of psychological enquiry.
  • Data about internal mental states/beliefs.

Disadvantages

  • Statistical analysis can be difficult if the interview is unstructured and the data collected is qualitative.
  • More time consuming than a questionnaire.
  • Greater chance of interpersonal variables affecting the responses, i.e. investigator effects.
  • Self-report data may be untrue.

Evaluation

Interviews can be structured (fixed predetermined questions) or unstructured (simply a topic for discussion) and these have advantages such as allowing detailed, qualitative information to be obtained, but also have disadvantages including being difficult to analyse statistically and issues with validity.

Comments

lucyjanderosn

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Thank you!! this was perfect :))

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