Self Report Methods + Case Studies

Question 1

What are the 2 methods of Self- Reporting ?

Answer 1

• Questionnaires

- Interviews

Question 2

Closed Questions

Answer 2

• Researcher determines the range of possible answers
  > Respondents reply by ticking boxes or circling appropriate answers
• Produce quantitative data which is easy to quantify and analyse
• May lack realism due to the forced choices of answers available to the respondents.

Question 3

Open Questions

Answer 3

• Researcher doesn’t restrict the range of available answers
• Produce a lot of detailed verbal information (qualitative data)
• Answers are usually more difficult to analyse because the range of possible answers is broad

Question 4

5 steps to creating questionnaires

Answer 4

• Keep the number of questions to a minimum
• Order questions carefully
• Avoid jargon
• Avoid leading questions
• Open or closed questions

Question 5

2 advantages of Questionnaires

Answer 5

• Allow large amounts of data to be collected quickly

- Convenient as the researcher does not need to be present when the participants complete the questionnaire

Question 6

2 disadvantages of Questionnaires

Answer 6

• Social desirability bias
  > Participants to present themselves in the best possible light
• Might misinterpret the questions

Question 7

3 types of Interviews

Answer 7

• Structured Interview
• Unstructured Interview
• Semi- Structured Interview

Question 8

Structured Interview

Answer 8

• Having a set list of questions.

- All participants are asked the same questions in the same order

Question 9

Unstructured Interview

Answer 9

• Starting with a vague idea of the topic

- Participants will all have a different interview experience as they are asked different questions.

Question 10

Semi- Structured Interview

Answer 10

• Starts with a basic list of questions but is free to ask ‘add on questions’ if necessary.

Question 11

2 advantages of Interviews

Answer 11

• More flexible than questionnaires
  > Researcher can clarify any issues with misunderstanding
• Encourage honesty
  > Interviewee to disclose more personal information if relationship builds

Question 12

2 disadvantages of Interviews

Answer 12

• Time consuming
  > Only one participant can be studied at a time.
• Investigator effects
  > Personal characteristics of the researcher affects the participants response.
  > eg, female participants less likely to open up to a male interviewer about issues related to sexual health.

Question 13

Case study

Answer 13

• Non-experimental
• Gathering detailed information about an individual or group of people
  > Longitudinal (following a person throughout their life
  > Retrospective (asking people to recollect events in their life
• Information gathered through regular interviews, psychological tests eg.
• Tend to generate qualitative data

Question 14

2 advantages of Case Studies

Question 15

2 disadvantages of Case Studies