What is social desirability?
+ what is interviewer bias?
When a respondent may change their behaviour or answer if they believe that there is a particular way that society would expect them to answer
+ the impact that the presence of a researcher may have on those answering the questions during an interview, it may change the way they respond
What are demand characteristics?
When a participant thinks that they have guessed what the researcher is trying to achieve or the way in which they ought to behave, they use this interpretation to change their actions
What are the 4 types of interview?
1) Structured interviews: similar to questionnaires as the interviewer follows a schedule & is given strict instructions on how to ask questions.
- standardised & closed questions with pre-coded answers
2) Unstructured interviews: like a guided conversation. The interviewer has complete freedom to vary the questions.
3) Semi-structured interviews: each interview has the same set of questions in common, but the interviewer can also probe for more.
4) Group interviews: interviews conducted with multiple people
What are some advantages & disadvantages of group interviews?
+ if others are sharing their own experiences people may be more comfortable sharing theirs
+ time & cost-effective
- not reliable
- herd mentality
- cannot maintain confidentiality & anonymity
- may not share the truth (less valid)
Which types of interviews do Positivists & Interpretivists favour?
Positivists favour structured interviews because their main goals are reliability, generalisability & representativeness.
Interprestivists favour unstructured interviews because their main goal is meanings & motives.
What are some similarities & differences between structured interviews & questionnaires?
+ both have set questions
+ both produce quantifiable data
- questionnaires are in the post not face to face unlike interviews
In which 6 ways can social interactions threaten the validity of interviews?
1) Interviewer bias: interviewer may ‘tell’ the respondent how to answer or struggle to remain detached
2) Artificiality: interviews are not a normal conversation so the results may lack validity
3) Status & power inequalities: inequalities between interviewer & interviewee may affect their willingness to tell the truth (e.g gender, age etc)
4) Cultural differences: may lead to misunderstandings or an inability to detect deception
5) Social desirability effect: interviewees may give answers that present them in a favourable light or offer an answer instead of saying “I don’t know”
6) Ethical issues: interviewees may feel pressured to answer. Sensitive topics could cause psychological harm. Anonymity, confidentiality & right to withdraw must be obtained.
Advantages & disadvantages of structured interviews
+ reliable
+ little skills required
+ can make generalisations
+ can identify cause & effect
+ quantifiable
- may have to offer incentives
- lacks validity
- may not be representative
- interviewer bias
- cannot explain/clarify
- lacks flexibility
- not good for exploring sensitive topics
Case studies of structured interviews
+ issues illustrated
Wilmott & Young: extended family in East London
+ no meanings & motives
+ interviewer bias within questions
McKee & O’Brien: study of fathers
+ gender inequalities affected answers given
+ social desirability effect
+ artificiality
Advantages & disadvantages of unstructured interviews
+ meanings & motives
+ flexibility
+ ethical (freedom to talk)
+ rapport can be built
+ useful for exploring sensitive topics
- more skill required
- less reliable
- less likely to be representative (more costly)
- may lack validity as it is a social interaction
Case studies of unstructured interviews
+ issues illustrated
Dobash & Dobash: violence against wives
+ vulnerable group
+ lack of reliability
+ lack of representativeness (only those who had reported DV to police)
Becker: teacher labelling
+ researcher bias
+ requires skills to put on a persona
+ lacks validity
Advantages & disadvantages of semi-structured interviews
+ rapport can be built
+ can produce quantifiable data
+ can clarify misunderstandings
- more skill required
- less reliable than structured
- less valid than unstructured (more likely to have interviewer bias)
Case studies of semi-structured interviews
+ issues illustrated
Gavron: the captive wife
+ time consuming
+ skills required
+ interviewer bias still present
+ lacks reliability
Butler: religion and gender-young women & Islam
+ small & unrepresentative sample
Advantages & disadvantages of group interviews
+ time & cost effective
+ may be more valid (people may feel more comfortable to share especially vulnerable groups)
+ meanings & motives
- no confidentiality or anonymity
- less representative (may be small samples or from the same area)
- may be less valid (herd mentality, inequalities & social desirability)
- less reliable
- cannot quantify
Case studies of group interviews
+ issues illustrated
Willis: the lads
+ vulnerable group
+ peer pressure may affect validity
+ status & power inequalities
Archer: Nike identities
+ vulnerable group
+ small sample size
What are some ways used by sociologists to improve the validity of interviews?
1) rapidly asking questions, follow ups & using questions to check answers given to others
2) aggression, disbelief & ‘playing dumb’ to extract sensitive info
3) ensuring interviewer and interviewees are ethnically and language matched
