Deck 13: Interviewing

Question 1

Olivier is preparing to conduct face-to-face interviews as one method for testing the hypothesis that people who are depressed tend to exhibit more all-or-nothing thinking. Which of the following interview structures would be appropriate for Oliver to use?

A) unstructured interview
B) semi-structured interview
C) structured interview
D) A and B
E) B and C
F) all of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Petor is trying to be as efficient (and frugal) as possible in designing the interviews that must be conducted as part of his experiment. Which of the following options are associated with reduced costs (an option that is unrelated to cost should not be circled)? (choose all that apply)

A) structured interviews
B) unstructured interviews
C) open-ended questions
D) closed-ended questions

Answer 2

A,D

Question 3

Which of the following statements is TRUE about face-to-face interviews, compared to telephone interviews? (circle all that apply)

A) in face-to-face interviews, interviewers can use visual aids which may help delivery of complicated questions or lengthy responses
B) in face-to-face interviews, respondents are less likely to quit the interview prematurely
C) in face-to-face interviews, respondents are willing to give considerably more time to the interviewer than in telephone interviews
D) in face-to-face interviews, respondents are more likely to have any confusions or problems clarified by the interviewer

Answer 3

A,D

Question 4

Of the information provided in the textbook, which of the following is NOT a recommendation for question construction?

A) avoid double barreled questions (e.g., How often do you feel anxious and excited?)
B) avoid double-negative questions (e.g., When do you not feel like you are not happy?)
C) avoid jargon (e.g., When do you experience negative affect?)
D) avoid lengthy or wordy questions, when they can be asked with fewer words

Question 5

Thor wrote several items for a structured interview, one of which was "When was the last time you drove while under the influence of alcohol or drove while high on marijuana?" Given the question itself, what type of question would this be considered?

A) a double barreled question
B) a leading expectancy question
C) a leading premise question
D) A and B
E) A and C
F) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following examples reflects a "gatekeeper?" (circle all that apply)

A) Gozer the Gozerian (from "Ghostbusters")
B) the IRB at a university
C) a bouncer at a nightclub
D) children's parents

Question 7

After "gaining entry" with respondents, there are several things you can do to improve your chances of participants cooperating with your research. These include: (circle all that apply)

A) matching the interviewer's demographic characteristics to the respondent
B) using financial incentives
C) identifying the agency or group that is backing the interview study (e.g., the researchers' university)
D) beginning the interview with the most innocuous and least sensitive questions

Question 8

Focus groups are characterized by several primary features; these include:

A) the data collected are quantitative, rather than qualitative, so that there is some sort of standardization of responses
B) focus groups work best when they are composed of diverse, heterogeneous respondents on various dimensions
C) the focus group "focuses" on a particular topic or stimulus for their discussion
D) A and B
E) B and C
F) all of the above

Question 9

Kensington and Brady conducted an interview where they had a set list of question-topics that needed to be presented to respondents. The way in which the questions were worded had to be kept the same, but interviewers were allowed to vary the order of the questions, and they could ask follow up questions when the thought respondents' answers could be expanded upon. This interview best reflects a(n):

A) semi-structured interview
B) unstructured interview
C) structured interview
D) open-ended interview

Question 10

Vera was conducting a semi-structured interview that included the question, "have you ever voted in a state election?" While most respondents said yes or no without incident, several respondents appeared to get a severe look of frustration on their face. When asked about their reaction, they mentioned that they had been the target of several deceptive political campaigns to misdirect voters to improper precincts, or keep voters from voting all together. This type of differential response to a question is also known as:

A) question constraint effects
B) response bias
C) self-stimulation effects
D) social desirability effects

Question 11

_____(a)_____ and _____(b)_____ are most vulnerable to self-stimulation effects:

A) structured; open-ended
B) unstructured; open-ended
C) semi-structured; closed-ended
D) closed-ended; structured

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a rule of thumb for constructing interview questions:

A) avoid double-barreled questions to allow for logical responses
B) use subtle language so that respondents do not discover the research hypotheses
C) use clear and simple, rather than specialized language
D) pilot test questions in a small group of respondents before using them for study
E) make items as short as possible to ensure question comprehension

Question 13

What factors improve a respondent's ability to recall information and report it accurately to an interviewer?

A) longer questions
B) the magnitude or importance of the topic being discussed
C) the specificity of the question
D) time allotted for the response to be given
E) all of the above

Question 14

To limit under-reporting of sensitive information by interview respondents, a researcher can:

A) create rapport with the respondent
B) offer financial incentives for completing the interview truthfully
C) assure complete anonymity
D) refrain from asking respondents to report demographic information
E) make use of computer-assisted interviewing technology

Question 15

Competence and expertise on the part of the interviewer is most needed when conducting:

A) structured interviews
B) unstructured interviews
C) semi-structured interviews
D) fully scheduled interviews
E) all formats of interviews

Question 16

___________ interviews, with their narrower focus, may constrict information gained but are more appropriate for hypothesis testing, while ____________ interviews are more suitable for exploratory research.

A) structured, semi-structured
B) structured, unstructured
C) unstructured, semi-structured
D) semi-structured, structured
E) semi-structured, unstructured

Question 17

Matching of respondent and interviewer social characteristics, such as race, socioeconomic status, and gender, is likely to:

A) improve accuracy of recalled experiences
B) increase openness and candor of responses
C) help establish rapport between respondent and interviewer
D) confound results, particularly in interviews on sensitive topics
E) none of the above

Question 18

Leading questions in interview research have the potential to:

A) establish rapport
B) compromise rapport
C) lead to biased results
D) reduce the length of responses
E) lead to refusal or withdrawal from the interview

Question 19

In BOTH group interviews and focus groups:

A) social interaction between participants is encouraged
B) participants are recruited based on a common characteristic or interest
C) the interview can be either structured or unstructured
D) a group of participants are asked the same question or set of questions
E) participant responses to other participants' response constitute meaningful interview data

Question 20

According to Sudman (1980), what are two important factors that influence people's ability to recall past events or internal states? Describe these two factors, and provide an example for each that demonstrates how it improves people's ability to remember an event.

Question 21

You are interested in interviewing neighborhood residents regarding their opinions of a new governmental policy. You discover that there is not a homeowners association, so you can proceed directly to each residence. However, you are still concerned about "gaining entry" with this non-gatekeeper sample. What are two techniques you could use to improve your chances of residents participating in your study?

Question 22

Compare unstructured and structured interviews. (a) What are the benefits and drawbacks of each, when is each structure best used, and how do they compare to one another; and (b) how are questions formatted or asked to respondents in each type of interview.

Question 23

You are going to be the primary interviewer for a study of adolescents' drug use and sexual behavior. Accordingly, determining the best ways to gain rapport with respondents is going to be very important. (a) Will you need to gain access from a gatekeeper - why or why not? Who or what would likely be the gatekeeper (if there was one)? (b) After gaining entry with potential respondents, what are five methods for increasing your chances of respondents' cooperating? In your response, be sure to (a) discuss whether you will need to obtain permission from a gatekeeper, (b) describe each of the five methods for increasing rapport, and (c) provide an example for how each method would manifest in the context of this interview with adolescents.

Question 24

Why might telephone or face-to-face interviews sometimes be a better method of administering a survey than, for instance, online or paper and pencil surveys?

Question 25

What are some "rules of thumb" for constructing interview questions?

Question 26

Why is it important for an interviewer to establish rapport with a respondent or potential respondent sample?

Question 27

How does the role of an interviewer or moderator differ in one-on-one interviews, group interviews, and focus groups?