Deck 8: Interviewing Techniques

Question 1

The reciprocal nature of interviewing means

A)the participants of an interview do not influence each other's mood.
B)the participants of an interview are interdependent upon and influence each other.
C)an interview involves high activity among both participants.
D)if the interviewer is tense and anxious, the interviewee will tend to calm down.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The personnel manager of ABC Company asked all of the applicants she interviewed the same questions in the same systematic fashion. She was conducting a(n)____ interview.

A)nondirective
B)unstructured
C)structured
D)diagnostic

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Criminal interrogations can result in misleading information if an interrogator is highly active because

A)they make the suspect nervous and prone to make misleading statements.
B)the suspect's activity level increases, which increases the interrogator's suspiciousness.
C)hyperactive interrogators tend to miss important cues given by the suspect.
D)active interrogators tend to cause the suspect to clam up and refuse to make a statement.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

David had graduated and secured two job interviews. He was quite nervous and in one interview, the interview team bickered among themselves and was rude to each other. In the other, the interview team was calm, relaxed, and welcoming. When he later thought about the interviews, David described himself as feeling very tense and even frightened in the first interview, and calm and confident in the second one. This is consistent with the idea of

A)mirroring
B)social facilitation
C)active listening
D)probing

Question 5

Social facilitation refers to

A)the phenomenon that we tend to act like the models around us.
B)a method of interviewing.
C)the best method of psychotherapy.
D)a method of enhancing human relationships.

Question 6

The degree to which one person is able to influence another is known as

A)interpersonal attraction.
B)interpersonal influence.
C)social facilitation.
D)halo effect.

Question 7

Which test cannot be properly used without interview data?

A)TAT
B)MMPI
C)16PF
D)WAIS

Question 8

Studies have shown that in an interview,

A)high activity in one participant is associated with reduced activity in the other.
B)high activity in one participant is associated with increased activity in the other.
C)the activity of one participant has nothing to do with the activity of the other.
D)high activity in one participant tends to lead to hostility in the other.

Question 9

Which of the following differentiates between an interview and psychological tests in general?

A)how they are evaluated
B)whether they are administered individually or in groups
C)whether there is a standardized format
D)their importance for gathering information in clinical settings

Question 10

An interview in which the person being interviewed is allowed to determine the direction of the interview is called a(n)____ interview.

A)nondirective
B)directive
C)structured
D)selection

Question 11

Which of the following demands more information than the interviewee would be willing to provide voluntarily?

A)evaluative statements
B)probing statements
C)hostile statements
D)reassuring statements

Question 12

Deliberately inducing discomfort or anxiety in an interviewee

A)should always be avoided.
B)is likely to increase how much information an interviewee reveals.
C)is related to the interviewer's training.
D)is appropriate for certain types of interviews.

Question 13

One study (Saccuzzo, 1975)found that the most important factor in a patient's evaluations of the quality of an interview was

A)the seriousness of their concerns.
B)their mood state.
C)the therapist's orientation.
D)their perceptions of the interviewer's feelings.

Question 14

In social psychology, the degree to which people share a feeling of understanding, mutual respect, and similarity is known as

A)social facilitation.
B)interpersonal influence.
C)interpersonal attraction.
D)halo effect.

Question 15

The fact that Roger is more impressed by how much his therapist appeared to care, rather than the numerous diplomas and certificates on the therapist's walls, suggests that Roger will likely evaluate the quality of the interview as

A)poor.
B)average.
C)high.
D)indeterminate.

Question 16

Good interview behavior is more a matter of ____ than ____.

A)social skills; experience
B)technique; attitude
C)attitude; skill
D)acquired abilities; personality style

Question 17

Probing statements

A)will put the interviewee on the defensive.
B)do not carry judgmental overtones.
C)should usually be avoided in an interview.
D)communicate a deep sense of empathy.

Question 18

Which of the following directs anger toward the interviewee?

A)evaluative statements
B)probing statements
C)hostile statements
D)reassuring statement

Question 19

Which of the following communicates "I don't approve of this aspect of you?"

A)evaluative statements
B)probing statements
C)hostile statements
D)reassuring statements

Question 20

During a job interview, Geoffrey found his behavior began to mimic the behavior of the nervous and disorganized interviewer. This is best described as an example of

A)social facilitation.
B)halo effect.
C)interpersonal attraction.
D)paraphrasing.

Question 21

Which of the following types of statements should be avoided in most interview situations?

A)probing statements
B)clarification statements
C)summarizing statements
D)verbatim playback

Question 22

Which level is interchangeable with the interviewee's statement?

A)level 1
B)level 2
C)level 3
D)level 5

Question 23

A verbatim playback

A)communicates empathy.
B)is less like the interviewee's response than a paraphrase.
C)adds to the interviewee's response.
D)is a repeat of the interviewee's last response.

Question 24

Which level of communication indicates only a superficial level of awareness of the meaning of a statement?

A)level 1
B)level 2
C)level 3
D)level 4

Question 25

The statement, "Yes, I see" might best be described as

A)probing.
B)verbatim playback.
C)transitional.
D)clarification.

Question 26

According to Carkhuff and Berenson, a level one response

A)communicates some awareness of the meaning of a statement.
B)is interchangeable with the interviewee's statement.
C)goes beyond the statement given.
D)bears little relationship to the interviewee's response.

Question 27

What two types of statements go just beyond the interviewee's response?

A)clarification and transition
B)clarification and summarizing
C)clarification and verbatim playback
D)paraphrasing and restatement

Question 28

A transitional phrase

A)brings the interview to a halt.
B)implies that the interviewee should continue talking about the same topic.
C)communicates empathy.
D)should be avoided in unstructured facilitative interviews.

Question 29

A closed-ended question

A)requires the interviewee to produce something spontaneously.
B)cannot be answered specifically.
C)gives the interviewee wide latitude in choosing the topics that he or she feels is important.
D)generally requires the person to recall something.

Question 30

A powerful response that communicates that the interviewer understands how the interviewee must be feel is a(n)

A)clarification response.
B)therapeutic response.
C)verbatim playback.
D)empathic response.

Question 31

Which type of statement tends to bring the interview to a halt, and thus violates the principles of keeping the interaction flowing?

A)open-ended questions
B)closed-ended questions
C)verbatim playback
D)summarizing

Question 32

Which level is interchangeable with the interviewee's statement?

A)evaluation
B)employment
C)mental status
D)case history

Question 33

Which of the following responses would be the most likely to lead the interviewee to elaborate on his or her responses?

A)false reassurance
B)verbatim playback
C)levels one and two responses
D)none of these typically facilitates the interview process

Question 34

Understanding responses are important because they

A)help an interviewee explore themselves at deeper levels.
B)help the interviewee decide what action to take.
C)indicate what the interviewee should not do.
D)make an interviewee feel good.

Question 35

"Don't worry, everything will be alright" is an example of

A)a facilitative response.
B)a confrontational response.
C)an effective response.
D)a response to be avoided.

Question 36

Clarification statements

A)serve to clarify the interviewee's response.
B)remain very close to the meaning of the interviewee's response.
C)may add to the interviewee's response.
D)all of these

Question 37

"Are you feeling good today?" is an example of a(n)

A)open-ended question.
B)evaluative statement.
C)closed-ended question.
D)transitional phrase.

Question 38

An open-ended question

A)requires the interviewee to produce something spontaneously.
B)usually can be answered specifically.
C)have the disadvantage of limiting the topics.
D)generally requires the person to recall something.

Question 39

Which of the following attempts to comfort or support the interviewee?

A)evaluative statements
B)probing statements
C)hostile statements
D)reassuring statements

Question 40

Select the best response, according to your text, to the statement, "My physics teacher yelled at me in front of the whole class."

A)Why did he do that?
B)That's embarrassing.
C)You should report him.
D)Don't worry; he yells at everyone.

Question 41

Making understanding responses is sometimes referred to as

A)active listening.
B)empathic accuracy.
C)paraphrasing.
D)transitions.

Question 42

Within Carkhuff and Berenson's five-point system, what is the minimum level of responding necessary to keep the interaction flowing?

A)III
B)I
C)II
D)V

Question 43

By replacing "why?" statements with "tell me" or "how?" statements, an interviewer can occasionally make wise use of ____ statements.

A)evaluative
B)judgmental
C)probing
D)hostile

Question 44

A confrontation should be used with great caution because

A)it may induce anxiety.
B)it may elicit anger.
C)people should not be made aware of discrepancies or inconsistencies.
D)there are too many different degrees of confrontation.

Question 45

In an effective interview, the interviewer maintains face-to-face contact and ____ to keep the interactions flowing.

A)exerts minimal effort
B)avoids directing the conversation
C)exerts a great deal of effort
D)uses closed-ended questions

Question 46

Kaplan and Saccuzzo recommend the use of direct questioning at the end of an evaluation interview under particular circumstances. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A)The interviewee is a verbal adult and capable of responding.
B)The data can be obtained in no other way.
C)Time is limited and the interviewer needs specific information.
D)The interviewee cannot or will not cooperate.

Question 47

Because they were interviewing for a public relations position that would involve dealing with very volatile situations on very short notice, the MEM Oil Co. deliberately induced a degree of anxiety in the interview process. They were using a technique known as the ____ interview.

A)structured
B)evaluative
C)stress
D)probing

Question 48

The power of understanding responses is documented in the area of

A)active listening.
B)evaluation.
C)level-one responses.
D)social facilitation.

Question 49

Research indicates people are more apt to talk about or explore themselves at deeper levels when ____ responses are used because they demonstrate that the interviewer knows how the interviewee feels.

A)paraphrasing
B)clarification
C)empathic
D)summarizing

Question 50

Why is the question "Why?" to be avoided in interviews?

A)It is too open-ended and is ineffective in gathering needed information.
B)It demands that interviewees explain their behavior and may be perceived as judgmental.
C)It encourages interviewees to launch long explanations rather than addressing real issues.
D)People are generally not very good at analyzing "why" questions to explain specific behaviors.

Question 51

Which of the following is the most likely to be a good interview question?

A)Why did you yell at him?
B)How could you possibly do something so foolish?
C)How did you happen to say that?
D)Did you not stop to think before you said that?

Question 52

Which type of statement points out a discrepancy or inconsistency?

A)level 3
B)probing
C)summarizing
D)confrontation

Question 53

Although interviewers normally avoid ____ statements, they may be necessary when interviewing a child or someone with mental retardation.

A)evaluative
B)probing
C)hostile
D)judgmental

Question 54

Which type of response goes beyond what the interviewee has said?

A)verbatim playback
B)paraphrasing
C)restatement
D)clarification

Question 55

"Don't worry, everything will be all right" is an example of

A)a probing statement.
B)a clarification statement.
C)false reassurance.
D)verbatim playback.

Question 56

In response to the statement "My boss yelled at me today," which of the following statements is most likely to keep the interaction flowing?

A)Your boss must be a real jerk.
B)What did you do wrong?
C)Don't worry; I'm sure it's no big deal.
D)That sounds very unpleasant.

Question 57

The school counselor knew he was wrong when he told the failing student in his office that everything would be alright, but the student was so upset that the counselor could not help himself. This is an example of

A)probing.
B)false reassurance.
C)directive statements.
D)hostile statements.

Question 58

Which of the following is an open-ended question?

A)Are you having problems?
B)Is your father strict?
C)What kinds of recreation do you enjoy?
D)Would you like to visit Paris?

Question 59

Attempts to measure understanding began with the work of

A)Carkhuff.
B)Berenson.
C)Saccuzzo.
D)Rogers.

Question 60

Why are "stress interviews" generally not appropriate in clinical settings?

A)Upsetting patients/clients may result in malpractice claims.
B)Anxious interviewees are less likely to disclose personal information.
C)Most psychologists are unable to correctly conduct stress interviews.
D)Stress interviews are only used in criminal investigations.

Question 61

Which of the following elicits self-exploration?

A)accurate empathy
B)false reassurance
C)social influence
D)transitional phrases

Question 62

To keep the interaction flowing in unstructured interviews, the interviewer must

A)remain quiet and not interrupt the interviewee.
B)ask several probing questions.
C)stop the interviewee to insert their perspectives if they talk for too long.
D)use social facilitation to model the behavior of talking a lot.

Question 63

According to general standoutishness theory,

A)more attractive applicants are treated more favorably in telephone interviews.
B)less attractive applicants are more favorably treated in telephone interviews.
C)more attractive applicants are treated less favorably in in-person interviews.
D)less attractive applicants are treated more favorably in in-person interviews.

Question 64

Some of the foreign-based corporations in Hong Kong require their employees who transfer to Hong Kong to learn something about the culture and the language, even though English is commonly spoken. These businesses are clearly concerned with errors associated with

A)cross-cultural bias.
B)using the local work force.
C)the halo effect.
D)social facilitation.

Question 65

Which two responses go beyond the interviewee's response?

A)paraphrasing and restatement
B)verbatim playback and understanding
C)clarification and summarizing
D)transitional phrasing and reassurance

Question 66

A statement that points out a discrepancy or inconsistency is called a

A)confrontation
B)judgment
C)reflection
D)clarification

Question 67

A(n)____ interview was developed in order to help overcome the low reliability in psychiatric diagnosis.

A)evaluation
B)structured clinical
C)case history
D)mental status

Question 68

Dr. Daniels spoke with several members of the family in order to obtain developmental information about the problems being experienced by his adolescent client. This best exemplifies a(n)____ interview.

A)evaluation
B)structured clinical
C)case history
D)mental status

Question 69

Susan just stated that she hates her brother. Which of the following statements is likely to keep the conversation flowing?

A)"Hating is wrong."
B)"I very much doubt that you actually hate him."
C)"I hated my brother when I was your age."
D)"You are angry with your brother."

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT an attitude related to good interviewing skills?

A)genuineness
B)acceptance
C)understanding
D)soft spokenness

Question 71

Experienced interviewers tend to

A)focus on a conversation.
B)consciously attend to what is being said.
C)attend to various important things automatically.
D)respond faster.

Question 72

The DISC-2, CAS, EPDS, and SCID-II are all examples of ____ interviews.

A)evaluation
B)structured clinical
C)case history
D)mental status

Question 73

Thorndike (1920)called the tendency to judge specific traits on the basis of general impressions the

A)halo effect.
B)general standoutishness.
C)testing effect.
D)experimenter bias effect.

Question 74

The tendency to judge on the basis of one outstanding characteristic is called

A)general standoutishness.
B)halo effect.
C)negative discrimination.
D)judgmental observation.

Question 75

What is a special type of interview used primarily to diagnose psychosis, brain damage, and other major mental health problems?

A)behavioral evaluation.
B)psychoanalytic interview.
C)mental status examination.
D)client-centered session.

Question 76

Which of the following is true of interview reliability?

A)It usually focuses on inter-interviewer agreement.
B)It can be seriously degraded by the halo effect.
C)It is typically quite high.
D)It is equivalent to reliability for standardized tests.

Question 77

For interview data, the critical questions about reliability have centered around

A)halo effects.
B)inter-interviewer agreement.
C)validity.
D)re-interview data.

Question 78

Structured clinical interviews have been criticized because

A)they rely completely on self-report data.
B)reliability is very low.
C)they are very brief.
D)it is difficult to define a specific group.

Question 79

Which of the following describes interpersonal influence ?

A)The degree to which particular interview questions influence a respondent's behavior in the interview.
B)The degree to which one person can influence another.
C)The degree to which interview type influences the responses elicited from respondents.
D)The degree to which people share a feeling of understanding, mutual respect, similarity, and the like.

Question 80

Truax and Carkhuff's (1967)5-point scoring system for interviewer understanding is rooted in seminal research on the effects of which type of therapy?

A)cognitive
B)psychodynamic
C)client-centered
D)existential