Structured Interviews (College Board AP® Psychology): Revision Note

Structured interviews

• An interview is a self-report method in which a researcher asks a participant a series of questions to collect their thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and opinions

  • Like surveys, interviews are a non-experimental methodology — there is no manipulation of an IV

• In a structured interview, the researcher uses a predetermined set of questions that are asked in the same order to every participant

• The researcher does not deviate from the script — every participant receives exactly the same questions in exactly the same order

• Structured interviews are considered a qualitative measurement instrument, however, they can also incorporate closed questions that generate quantitative data, e.g.:

  • "How many hours of sleep do you get per night?"

  • "Do you feel anxious in social situations? Yes / No"

Qualitative vs. quantitative data in structured interviews

• Structured interviews primarily produce qualitative data

  • This comprises descriptive, detailed responses that reflect participants' individual experiences and perspectives

• They may also incorporate closed questions that produce quantitative data

  • This is numerical scores that can be statistically analyzed

Evaluation of structured interviews

Strengths

• The use of standardized questions means the interview can be replicated by different researchers

  • This minimizes experimenter bias because all researchers must follow the same script, reducing the risk that individual researcher characteristics influence the responses given

• Standardization allows reliability to be checked over time using the test-retest method

  • If the same questions produce similar responses on different occasions, this increases confidence in the consistency of the findings

Limitations

• The predetermined question format is restrictive

  • If a participant raises something unexpected or particularly significant, the structured format does not allow the researcher to explore it further

  • This limits the depth and usefulness of the data collected

• Self-report bias is a limitation of structured interviews

  • Because participants provide their own account of their thoughts, feelings, and behavior, there is no way to verify whether their responses accurately reflect reality

  • This is particularly problematic when questions are poorly worded, leading, or ambiguous

• Face-to-face delivery increases the risk of social desirability bias compared to anonymous surveys

  • Participants may feel greater pressure to present themselves favorably when responding directly to a researcher, reducing the validity of the findings

• Experimenter bias may still influence results despite standardization

  • The researcher's tone of voice, body language, or manner of delivery can subtly influence how participants interpret and respond to questions

    • This reduces the validity of the data collected