Ch. 3 - Interviewing Flashcards

Question

Types of Probing Questions: Mirror Probes

Answer 1

- the mirror question, unlike the reflective question, summarizes a series of answers or interchanges to ensure accurate understanding and retention. - it may mirror or summarize a large portion of an entire interview, to be certain of instructions, elements of proposal, prescribed regimens, agreed-upon procedures, and so on. - for example, a physician might use a mirror question to verify understanding of a patient's symptoms. - reflective and mirror questions can help you avoid errors cause by faulty assumptions, poor memory, or misinterpretations

Answer 2

- skillful probing leads to insightful answers - the use of probing q's separates skills and unskilled interviewers. - the unskilled person sticks with a prepared list of questions, anticipates questions prematurely and is impatient. - a skilled person listens carefully to each response to determine if the answer is satisfactory. if it's not, the questioner determines the probable cause within seconds and phrases an appropriate probing question - skillful probing discovers more relevant, accurate and complete information and may heighten the other party's motivated because you appear to be interested and listening.

Answer 3

- probing questions may cause issues. if a person does not respond immediately, you may jump in with a probing question when none is needed. - phrase probing questions carefully and be aware of vocal emphasis - the meaning of a simple "why" question can be altered by stressing different words. - WHY do you say that? - Why DO you say that? - Why do YOU say that? - a simple why question may unintentionally communicate disapproval, disbelief, mistrust and make the other party defensive and reluctant to disclose openly. - a poorly phrased probing question may alter the meaning of the primary question or bias the reply. be tactful but not demanding. do not misquote or put words into their mouth

Answer 4

- neutral questions allow respondents to decide upon answers without direction or pressure from the questioner. - in open, neutral questions, the interviewee determine the length, details, nature of the answer. - in closed, neutral questions, a person may choose between equal choices. - all questions discussed and illustrated so far have been neutral questions - neutral questions encourage honest answers

Answer 5

- leading questions suggest the answer expected or desired because the questioner leads the respondent toward a particular answer by making it easier or more tempting for the respondent to give one answer over the other. - leading questions direct interviewees to specific answers.

Answer 6

- interviewer bias occurs whenever respondents provide answers they feel the interviewer prefers to hear. - such bias may be intentional or unintentional - leading questions are a major source of interview bias, but others are status differences between the parties, an interviewee's perceptions or assumptions, word choice, dress, symbols such as political buttons and nonverbal signals. - interviewer bias leads to dictated responses - an apparent bipolar question may in reality have only one pole.

Answer 7

- do you enjoy fly fishing? - are you going to the conference? - how did this class compare to the last one? - how do you feel about working out? - what were your reactions to the new scheduling system? - have you ever gotten drunk? - have you ever cheated in class? - do you consider yourself to be a conservative or liberal? - how do you feel about gun control laws? - do you want a diet soft drink?

Answer 8

- you like fly fishing, don't you? - you're going to the conference, aren't you? - wasn't this class better than the last one? - do you hate to work out like most of us? - what were your reactions to the stupid new scheduling system? - when was the lsat time you got drunk? - have you stopped cheating in class? - do you consider yourself to be a conservative or socialist? - how do you feel about gun control laws that violate our second amendment rights and will lead to a police state? - I assume you want a diet soft drink?

Answer 9

- all 10 leading q's make it easier for a person to reply in a specific way. - if you are in a nonthreatening, informal, pleasant situation with a friend or equal in an organizational or social situation, you might ignore or object to a leading question. - however, if you are in a threatening, formal situation with higher status party, you may feel obligated to answer as the interviewer prefers. - at other times, you might go along with the direction bc you don't care, want to cooperate, avoid upsetting a person, or "not make a scene". if that's the answer a person wants, you give it.

Answer 10

- the first four and last two leading questions are mild in direction. each appears to be bipolar. - however, the phrasing of each guides the respondent toward one pole; they are actually unipolar questions. - respondents could ignore the direction of questions 1-3 and 10, if their relationship did not seem to depend on yes answers. - question 4 uses the bandwagon technique (follow the crowd) and a respondents answer might depend on past experiences with the interviewer and whether the respondent wants to follow the majority. - question 10 suggest that the respondent will want a diet soft drink; a person with ambivalent or apathetic feelings might just give the answer the interviewer seems to want.

Answer 11

- loaded questions are extreme leading questions. - questions 5 and 9 provide strong direction, virtual direction of the correct answer; that;s why they are called loaded questions. - questions 5 and 9 are loaded bc of the name-calling and emotionally charged words. - since leading questions, particularly loaded ones, have potential for severe interviewer bias, avoid them unless you know what you're doing. - introductory phrases like "according to the law" "as well all know" "as witnesses have testified" and "as the coach warned" may lead respondents to give acceptable answers rather than true feelings or beliefs. - you can turn a neutral question into a leading question by the nonverbal manner in which you ask it. - for ex., you may appear to demand a certain answer by leaning toward the respondent, looking the person directly i the eyes or raising an eyebrow. - you can even appear to demand a certain answer by emphasizing key words.

Answer 12

- regardless of the potential for mischief, leading q's have important uses. - recruiters use them to see how interviewees respond under stress - sales reps use leading questions to close sales - police officers ask loaded questions to provoke witnesses - journalists use them to prod reluctant interviewees into responding - loaded questions dictate answers through language or entrapment.

Answer 13

- do not confuse neutral mirror and reflective probing questions with leading questions - mirrors and reflective may appear to direct respondents toward particular answers, but their purposes are clarification and verification, not leading or direction. - if they lead by accidents, they are failures.

Answer 14

- phrase questions carefully to avoid common pitfalls - bc interviews are often minimally structured and we must create both primary and probing questions on the spot, it is easy to stumble into common question pitfalls. - bipolar trap, the tell me everything, the open-to-closed switch, the double barreled inquisition, the leading push, the guessing game, the yes (no) response, the curious probe, the quiz show, the don't ask, don't tell quesiton

Answer 15

- avoid unintentional bipolar questions - you fall into a bipolar trap when you ask a bipolar question designed to elicit a yes or no answer when you really want a detailed answer or specific information. - this pitfall is obvious in questions that begin with words such as do you, did you, are you, have you, were you, can you, is there, would you, and was it. - if all you want is a yes or no, each may be satisfactory, but a yes or no tells you little. - bipolar w's assume there are only two possible answers and that the answers are poles apart: conservative-liberal, like-dislike, approve-disapprove, agree-disagree, high-low, yes-no - eliminate bipolar traps by reserving bipolar questions for situations in which only yes or no or a single word is desired. - begin questions with words and phrases such as what, why, how explain, and tell me about that ask for detailed information, feelings or attitudes.

Answer 16

- the tell me everything is at the opposite end of the scale from the bipolar trap. - instead of a simple yes/no or agree/disagree, this question trap occurs when the interviewer asks an extremely open question with no restrictions or guidelines for the interviewee. - the interviewee may have a hard time determining where to begin, what to include, what to exclude, and when to end. - the tell me everything pitfall occurs in an employment interview when the recruiter says "tell me about ourself" or when a journalist asks "what was it like in Afghanistan?" or health provider asking "tell me about your medical history" - ask open questions rather than closed and bipolar questions, but don't make them too open. - for an ex. let the interviewee know what part of self, the Afghanistan deployment, and the medical history you are most interested in.

Answer 17

- think before asking and know when to stop asking - the open-to-closed switch question occurs when you ask an open question but, before the interviewee can respond, you rephrase it into a closed or bipolar question. - tell me about your trip to Seattle. Did you see the new Boeing Dreamliner? - why did you purchase a new pickup truck? was it because of the rebate? - the open-to-closed switch occurs when you are still phrasing a question in your mind. - this rummaging about for the right phrasing often changes a perfectly good open question into a narrow, closed question. - the respondent is likely to address only the second question, perhaps with a yes or no. - avoid the open-to-closed switch by preparing questions prior to the interview and thinking through questions before asking them.

Answer 18

- the double-barreled inquisition question occurs when you ask two or more questions at the same time instead of a single, precise question. - which charities do you give to most often and how did you choose these? - tell me about your positions at Penney's and Macy's - a respondent may answer both parts of the question, they may answer both parts superficially, answer the party they can remember, select the party they want to answer, or react negatively to the perceived inquisition - you may find it necessary to repeat a portion of the initial question to get all of the information wanted, or you may be unaware of missing information and go to another primary question prematurely - avoid the double-barreled inquisition and its dangers by asking one question at a time. if you ask a double-barreled inquisition, repeat the part the interviewee did not answer.

Answer 19

- the leading push occurs when you ask a question that suggests how a person ought to respond. - the push may be intentional (you want to influence the answer) or unintentional (you are not aware of the push) - it is easy to interject feelings or attitudes through language and nonverbal signals. - you're going to the help session, aren't you? - you chose a college because your girlfriend went their? - you may not realize you have asked a leading question and remain unaware that you received a skewed answer to please you. - the interviewee may go along with whatever answer you seem to want, particularly if you are in the superior role. - avoid the leading push trap by phrasing questions neutrally and listening carefully to each question you ask.

Answer 20

- the guessing game pitfall happens when you try to guess information instead of asking for it. - it's common in interviews - strings of closed, guessing questions fail to accomplish what a single open-ended question can. - ask rather than guess, and rely on open rather than closed questions to avoid the guessing game pitfall.

Answer 21

- the yes (no) response pitfall occurs when you ask a question that has only one obvious answer, a yes or no. - each of the following q's are likely to get predictable responses: - do you want to pass this course? - do you want to die? - avoid the yes (no) question pitfall by opening up your questions and avoiding the obvious. - an obvious question will generate and obvious answer.

Answer 22

- curious probes delve into information you do not need. - curiosity may be fatal to interviewers. - make sure every question you ask probes into info that is relevant and important to the purpose of your interview. - if there is a likelihood that a question may appear to the interviewee to be irrelevant or non of your business, explain why it's important and how you will use the information you receive. - ask for demographic data such as age, income, educational level, and marital status only when such info is clearly necessary and relevant, after you have established trust, and at the END of the interview. - as an interviewee, do not assume a question is irrelevant; the interviewer may have a valid reason for asking. - other cultures ask questions that might appear irrelevant (Japanese may ask personal questions early on to learn important characteristics about you)

Answer 23

- interviews are not quiz shows - the parties you interview should have a store of knowledge that enables them to answer comfortably and intelligently. - questions about the respondents information level may cause embarrassment or resentment bc no one wants to appear uninformed, ill-informed, uneducated, or unintelligent. - respondents may fake answers or give vague answers rather than admit ignorance. - on the other hand, questions below the respondents intelligence or level of information may be insulting. - avoid the quiz show pitfall by asking for information in common categories or frames of reference such as pounds rather than ounces, cups rather than pots of coffee, or numbers of hours watching tv per day than month or year.

Answer 24

- ask q's that are simple, clear requests of reasonable amounts of information. - avoid overly complex questions that challenge respondents to figure out what you want. - if you must have a complex question, explain the scale and provide opportunities for interviewees to try out the scale to determine if they understand the question and how to answer it. - phrase questions carefully by avoiding a mixture of negatives, positives, maybes and unnecessary details.

Answer 25

- don't ask don't tell questions delve into information and emotions that respondents may be incapable of addressing because of social, psychological or situational constraints. - there is a time and place for everything, so you do not discuss certain topics, in mixed groups, in public, or in political, religious or social settings. - some areas are often taboo: sex, personal income, religious convictions, and certain illnesses. - explain why a question is essential to ask and delay touchy or taboo questions until you have established a comfortable climate and a positive relationship. - phrase questions carefully to lessen social and psychological constraints and to avoid offending interviewees.

Answer 26

- avoid common question pitfalls by planning q's prior to the interview so you do not have to create them on the spot in the give-and-take interaction - think before uttering a question, stop when you have asked a good open question instead of rephrasing it, use bipolar questions sparingly, avoid questions that are too open-ended, ask only necessary questions, ask for info at the interviewee's level, avoid complex q's and be aware of the accessibility factor in questions and answers. - avoid pitfalls by preparing and thinking. - know the common question pitfalls well enough that you can catch yourself before tumbling into one.

Answer 27

- each tool has unique characteristics, capabilities and pitfalls. - knowing which w to select and how to use it is essential for interviewing effectively and efficiently. - each question has three characteristics (1) open or closed (2) primary or probing (3) neutral or leading - open q's are designed to discover large amounts of info, while close q's are designed to gain specific bits of information. - primary q's open up topics and subtopics while probing w's probe into answers for more information, explanations, clarifications and verifications. - neutral q's give respondents freedom to answer as they wish, while leading q's nudge or shove respondents toward specific answers. - phrasing questions is essential tog et the information needed. if you phrase q's carefully and think before asking, you can avoid common w pitfalls such as bipolar trap, tell me everything, leading push, etc.

Ch. 3 - Interviewing Flashcards

(51 cards)