Research Methods: Self-Report Techniques

Contains questions about:

  • questionnaires
  • open and closed questions
  • questionnaire construction
  • interviews
  • structured and unstructured interviews (EXTRA = semi-structured interviews)
  • interview design
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  • Created by: Lillith7
  • Created on: 10-02-21 15:15
Outline what is meant by 'self-report techniques'.
-a research method where participants are asked to directly provide information about themselves
-involves giving responses to questions
- e.g. questionnaires and interviews
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Explain one limitation of a self-report technique.
-social desirability bias (participants respond in ways which portray them in a positive light)
-responses may not reflect their true opinions and behaviours
- means conclusions drawn may not be accurate
-BIGGER PROBLEM FOR INTERVIEWS
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Outline what is meant by 'questionnaire'.
-a set of WRITTEN questions designed to collect information from participants on their views and opinions on one or more topics
-researcher is NOT usually PRESENT
-tend to involve a LARGE SAMPLE of the target population
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What are the differences between open and closed questions?
-open questions = answer in their own words, responses are not restricted, qualitative data.
-closed questions = select the response which best represents themselves from a choice of responses, limited responses, OFTEN BUT NOT ALWAY quantitative data
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State a strength and limitation of open questions.
-strength = produces rich detailed data that's more likely to reflect the participants' true feelings and beliefs
-limitation = data analysis is difficult and subjective
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State a strength and limitation of closed questions.
-strength = can be statistically analysed so groups of participants can be compared more easily
-limitation = data obtained may not be accurate as participants may feel forced into selecting an option that doesn't reflect their views
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What do you need to consider when constructing a questionnaire?
-clear instructions that can only be interpreted in one way
-conduct a pilot study
-simple and clear questions to ensure understanding
-relevant and ethical questions to ensure a quick and simple completion of survey without distress
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What types of questions should be avoided in a questionnaire?
-leading questions
-ambiguous questions
-questions containing jargon
-questions not directly related to the research study
-questions that are too personal or offensive
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State three strengths of questionnaires.
-large sample of target population so more accurate and higher generalisability
-large amounts of data can be collected relatively quickly compared to interviews
-less investigator bias and less time-consuming as researcher is absent during completion
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State two limitations of questionnaires.
-social desirability bias = results may not represent participants' true feelings/behaviours reducing accuracy of conclusions
-biased sample = certain people more likely to complete questionnaires e.g. those who are literate so cannot generalise fully
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How do questionnaire reduce social desirability bias?
-participant anonymity (keeping identity anonymous)
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Outline what is meant by 'interview'.
-participants VERBALLY answer a series of questions in real time, either face-to-face or over the phone
-researcher is PRESENT
tend to involve SMALLER SAMPLE of target population
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Explain one strength of interviews as a whole.
-interviewer can pick up on non-verbal behaviour, e.g. certain questions take longer to answer, which provides extra detail
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Explain two limitations of interviews as a whole.
- social desirability bias means responses may not reflect true opinions/behaviours leading to inaccurate conclusions
-investigator bias as researcher present asking questions and may influence responses meaning conclusion are inaccurate
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Outline what is meant by 'structured interview'.
-list of PRE-DETERMINED questions in a FIXED ORDER
-participants asked SAME questions
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Outline what is meant by 'semi-structured interview'.
- some pre-determined question which can be developed depending on the participants response
-uses closed questions followed by open questions to build on the response given
-most common
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Outline what is meant by 'unstructured interview'.
-NO set questions
-TOPIC discussed with the aim to gather as much DETAIL and DESCRIPTION as possible
-questions are DETERMINED by participants PRIOIR RESPONSE
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Explain two limitations of an unstructured interview.
-interpretation of data can be subjective as very detailed responses make it harder to analyse and draw conclusions
-more time-consuming as interviewer requires more training and takes longer to complete and analyse so longer to draw conclusions
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Explain two strengths of a structured interview.
-standardisation of procedures = same questions in fixed order makes it easier to repeat to check for consistency
-less time-consuming as less training needed and less time to conduct and analyse producing conclusions quicker
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Explain one limitation of a structured interview.
-not possible to follow up unexpected issues
-pre-determined set of questions so interviewer cannot ask any extra questions
-restricts the amount of useful data collected
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Explain two strengths of an unstructured interview.
-conversation-type format build good rapport making participant more likely to give open and honest responses leading to accurate conclusions
-obtain detailed info as able to clarify/ask for more detail providing insight for new research
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What do you need to consider when constructing an interview?
-clear instructions
-clear, simple, relevant and ethical questions
-pilot study
-how to avoid interviewer bias
-appearance of interviewer as influences how participant feels
-how they'll record the data
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How does researcher avoid interviewer bias?
-treat all participants in the same manner
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How could the researcher record the data collected from an interview?
-one researcher make notes during the interview
-audio/video record the responses during the interview and make notes afterwards
-have one researcher ask the questions and another make the notes
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What is a strength and limitation of audio/video recording an interview and making note afterwards?
-strength: allows interviewer to concentrate on communicating effectively at all times
-limitation: very time-consuming for the interviewer
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Why should researchers conduct a pilot study before conducting any full scale questionnaire or interview?
-to gather information on any changes that need to be made, e.g. to the instructions, questions, interview setting (interview) or answers for closed question (questionnaire), prior to the completion of the full scale study
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I feel confident on self-report techniques.
STRONGLY AGREE
AGREE
NOT SURE
DISAGREE
STRONGLY DISAGREE
CLOSED QUESTION
STRONGLY AGREE/AGREE: Yay!!! Now take a break before moving onto something else
NOT SURE: Maybe one more try...
DISAGREE/STRONGLY DISAGREE: Don't give up. Try something else and come back later.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Explain one limitation of a self-report technique.

Back

-social desirability bias (participants respond in ways which portray them in a positive light)
-responses may not reflect their true opinions and behaviours
- means conclusions drawn may not be accurate
-BIGGER PROBLEM FOR INTERVIEWS

Card 3

Front

Outline what is meant by 'questionnaire'.

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What are the differences between open and closed questions?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

State a strength and limitation of open questions.

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

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