RESEARCH METHODS
SELF-REPORT
G541 PSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
STARTER 10-15 MINS
Worksheet 1: KEY WORDS
Using your iPads: complete the key terms related to this topic
Each definition should be at least two sentences long
You should use these terms where appropriate in your responses to
exam questions
CHECKLIST:
You have a detailed checklist on the blog,
please go and download it now and have a
quick look over.
Print/keep for your reference and for
revision purposes.
Key Terms
TERM
Closed question
Open question
Interview
Semi-structured interview
Structured interview
Unstructured interview
Questionnaire
Fixed response question
Likert scale
Survey
Self report
DEFINITION
KEY FEATURES: Self-Report
Self-report is a method of data collection in which the participant
themselves answer questions about their behaviour, thoughts and
feelings. Questions may be asked in an interview or in the form of a
questionnaire that participants are asked to respond to.
 Instead of using an objective method of data collection, participants are
asked to make subjective judgements.
Interviews are ac commonly used technique in clinical psychology and
psychotherapy. They can be structured, semi structured or unstructured.
Usually self-report questions are responded to by participants
themselves, although occasionally others respond for them e.g. In the
case of small children or people with learning difficulties who are unable
to respond on their own behalf.
The most common form of self-report in psychological investigations is
the questionnaire or psychological measure.
As with observations, self-report is a method in its own right, but it is
also frequently incorporated into experiments
ACTIVITY
Worksheet 3: Studies that use Self-Reporting Techniques
Reicher & Haslam
Thigpen & Cleckley
Rosenhan
Griffiths
Studies that use self-reporting
Study
Reicher &
Haslam
Thigpen &
Cleckley
Rosenhan
Griffiths
Approach
Role of
Self-Report
Method of Self Report:
QUESTIONNAIRES
KEY FEATURES: Questionnaires
Questionnaires and psychological tests such as personality test and IQ
tests are all self-report measures.
Questions in a questionnaire can be open or closed.
Open questions area open ended and allow free rein in answering
them.
Closed questions have a limited number of possible responses. They
can be questions that require a simple yes/no answer or they require an
answer from a range of possible answers.
Questionnaires frequently use rating scale. They can consist of
questions ore statements that participants respond to on a scale (e.g.
Likert scale) where responses may take the form of ‘strongly disagree’
to ‘strongly agree’ on a scale of 1-4 where 1=strong disagree and
4=strongly agree.
If participants have to select answers from a range of possible
responses they can be referred to as forced-choice questions.
Studies which used
questionnaires:
OVERVIEW: Questionnaires
Nature & Use
Set of questions
Design: open (qual) or closed (quan)
Advantages
Disadvantages
Ethical Issues
Method of Self Report:
INTERVIEW
KEY FEATURES: Interviews
Unstructured - Structured - Semi Structured
a.
Unstructured interview
In an unstructured interview there is no predetermined structure in the
interview, although the interviewer will normally have some goal or sense
of direction in mind. The interviewer will ask open-ended questions and
the answers given by the interviewee stimulate new questions. The
directed but unstructured interview is the type of interview normally
used in a therapeutic context.
b.
Structured interview
In a structured interview the interviewer has a predetermined list of
questions which they stick to. Respondents are all asked the same
questions in the same order.
c.
Semi-Structured interview
In a semi-structured interview the interviewer has a list of questions but
the approach is flexible and can be shaped by the interviewee’s
responses.
Studies which used
interviews:
OVERVIEW: Interviews
Nature & Use
Questions can be predetermined, or created
in response to answers.
Design: structured/ unstructured questions
Advantages
Disadvantages
Ethical Issues
SUMMARY EVALUATION:
Different types of self-report methods
Strengths
Unstructured
Interview
Structured/
Semi-Structured
interview
Open ended
questions
Close questions
Weaknesses
EVALUATION: Self-Reports
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
PROCEDURE: Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
What the researcher is going to do step by step.
Who are your sample and how will you get them? How are you going to collect
the data? Have you planned your questions? Are you using a scale?
Don’t forget your key terms- i.e. what type of self report is it? - The strengths
and weaknesses of that self report type? Sampling method- strengths and
weaknesses of your sampling method and anything which might affect your
sample (response rate/bias). Single Blind/Double Blind procedure? Any type of
control method such as counterbalancing for repeated measures design? What
type of design in it? Inter rater reliability? Ecological Validity? Ability to
generalise? (not all of these will be relevant to every method)
How about any ethical issues which might need to be considered for the study?
How might they affect the results? How might you deal with them? Consent,
deception, confidentiality, protection from harm, debrief
Remember- relate all these to the stimulus material in question. Responses
need to be in context. If the experiment is a laboratory experiment- include
factors that affect laboratory experiments such as low Ecological validity which
means it’s difficult to generalise outside a lab setting. For self report there may
be demand characteristics or social desirability.
PROCEDURE: Self-Report
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Decide aim and research question & hypothesis
Identify research method being used
Identify variables
Plan procedure: obtain ethics approval, outline how
you will carry out this research, give examples of
questions
Possibly run pilot study in order to check feasibility
Outline details of how you will collect data
If, appropriate, thank and debriefed pts
Analyse data, produce findings and draw conclusions
Write report of practical investigation
PROCEDURE: Overview
5-7 marks




Good description of procedure
Good evaluation of procedure
2 strengths
2 weaknesses
Describe (4 marks)
•Type
•Timing (20 min)
•Who
•Location
•When (time of day)
•IV/DV
8-10 marks

In-depth description of procedure,
including use of specialist terms
 In-depth evaluation of procedure
 3+ strengths
 3+ weaknesses
 Good use of grammar and limited
spelling mistakes.
Evaluate (6 marks)
•Reliability
•Validity
•Ethics
• A psychologists is interested in
investigating people's beliefs in the
paranormal (e.g. ghosts, telepathy,
unidentified (lying objects) and
decides to use a self-report measure
to conduct their study.
• Design your own study in pairs (see
slide below)
Stage
Aim + hyp
Description (what is it? What will you do?
Must be replicable) [4]
Evaluation (reliability, validity,
ethics, generalisability) [6]
n/a
Method
Variables
Ethics
Procedure
Inc sample
Data analysis
n/a
ACTIVITY
You are going to attempt one of the example exam Qs
and then you will rotate, see each others ideas and
suggest improvements for each other. (your
homework will relate to this so do it properly!)
Complete the following ESQ for self-report
Scenario 1: Modernising Supermarkets
Scenario 2: School Library
Scenario 3: Holiday Preferences
Scenario 4: Happiness Levels
Exam Style Questions: Self-Report
Scenario 1
A large supermarket has decided to modernise its premises. The
manager proposes to conduct a survey, asking customers what sort
of refreshment/eating and drinking facilities they would like in the
updated store. The survey will gather quantitative data.
1a. Sketch an appropriate chart for recording the findings of this
study (4)
1b. Describe one limitation of the quantitative data will be recorded
on this chart (2)
2. Identify two ethical issues the manager needs to consider when
conducting this survey, and suggest how they could be managed (6)
3. Outline an appropriate procedure the manager could follow for
this study (8)
1
Fictional category
Number of pupils
Science fiction
20
Fantasy
20
Crime
15
Thrillers
12
War
10
Romance
15
Historical
10
Humour
18
Scenario 2
A school librarian asked pupils to
complete a questionnaire about
the types of books they would like
to see in the school’s fiction
library. Pupils were asked to
select three fictional categories.
The school had a population of
500 pupils, 40 of whom returned
a completed questionnaire to the
librarian.
1a. Sketch an appropriate graph to represent the findings of this study (3)
1b. Draw one conclusion from the findings of this study (2)
2. Suggest why the findings of this study may not be valid (3)
3a. Suggest how the librarian could have obtained a random sample for this study (3)
3b. Describe one strength of using random sampling in this study (3)
4. Outline an alternative way the librarian could have measured the pupil’s fictional
book preferences (6)
2
Exam Style Questions: Self-Report
Scenario 3
A researcher used a structured interview to investigate people’s
holiday preferences. He used open and closed questions to gather
both quantitative and qualitative data about where people preferred
to go on holiday, what type of holiday they enjoyed the most and
what type of accommodation suited them best.
1a. Describe the terms ‘open question’ and ‘closed question’ (4)
1b. Give an appropriate ‘open question’ that could have used in this study
(2)
2a. Describe a sampling technique the researchers could have used to
obtain a suitable sample in this study (2)
2b. Describe one strength of using this sampling technique for this study (2)
3. Discuss the issues of reliability and validity in relation to this study (10)
3
Exam Style Questions: Self-Report
Scenario 4
An office manager wanted to compare people’s happiness levels on
Monday mornings with their happiness levels of Friday morning, to see if
the through of coming to work for the next five days influenced their mood
more then the though of the forthcoming weekend break. She decided to
do this using a questionnaire in which participants had to apply a rating
scale to reflect their levels of happiness.
1a. Describe an appropriate rating scale for this study (3)
1b. Outline one weakness of using a rating scale in this study (2)
2a. Describe the type of data gathered in this study (2)
2b. Outline one strength of this type of data in relation to this study (2)
3a. Suggest an appropriate alternative one-tailed hypothesis for this study
(3)
3b. Explain what makes your hypothesis one-tailed (2)
4. Briefly discuss the issue of reliability in relation to this study (6)
4
Homework
Complete the
EXAMPLE ESQ: June 2009
A researcher is Interested In finding out why students at a large sixth form
college have decided to study psychology. He is going to use a self-report
questionnaire.
1(a). Suggest one open and one closed question that could be used to
investigate subject choice. (4)
(b). Discuss the validity of the closed question you have suggested to
investigate subject choice. (4)
2(a). Suggest how the researcher could use a random sampling technique
to get 40 psychology students to complete the questionnaire. (2)
(b). Evaluate the use of random sampling in this study. (4)
3(a). What is quantitative data? (2)
(b) Outline one strength and one weakness of quantitative data in this
study. (4)
TOTAL: 20 MARKS