Questionnaires (Surveys) (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

What is a questionnaire?

• A questionnaire is a type of self-report method in which participants answer a set of predetermined questions designed to collect data about their:

  • thoughts

  • feelings

  • attitudes

  • beliefs

  • behaviours

• They can be used to:

  • explore people’s views on social issues (e.g. immigration, social media, cost of living)

  • measure psychological traits (e.g. IQ, depression, empathy, or decision-making)

  • conduct large-scale surveys to investigate behaviours such as voting habits or health choices

• Questionnaires are often used in psychology to gather large amounts of data quickly and efficiently

Designing a questionnaire

• Researchers must consider the following:

  • Aim: What is the questionnaire trying to find out?

  • Length: Too short means a lack of data collected; too long may lead to participant boredom or careless answers

  • Clarity: Questions must be clear, concise, and unambiguous

• Questionnaires can include closed questions, open questions, or a mixture of both

Evaluation of questionnaires

Strengths

• Questionnaires make it easy to collect data from a large sample quickly, because they can be administered at the same time

• All respondents answer the same questions, allowing comparisons and reliable pattern analysis

Weaknesses

• Respondents may misunderstand questions or find that closed options don’t reflect their true views, reducing reliability

• Asking everyone the same questions limits personal depth and may lower validity

• Participants might give socially desirable answers, under-reporting negative traits or over-reporting positive ones

Closed questions

• Closed questions give participants a fixed set of responses to choose from

• They may be yes/no, multiple-choice, or rating scale questions

• Closed questions are useful when the researcher needs quantitative data that can be easily counted, compared, or displayed in graphs

Examples

• “Do you agree that young people are more anxious than previous generations?”

  • ☐ Yes  ☐ No

• “Which of the following words best describes you?”

  • a) Sociable b) Shy c) Reclusive d) Hostile

• “Do you agree that national service should be reintroduced to the UK?”

  • ☐ Yes  ☐ No

Rating scales

• Rating scales are a type of closed question that asks participants to rate their response along a numerical or descriptive scale

  • They produce quantitative data that can be averaged or compared between groups.

• Rating scales are often used to measure the intensity or frequency of a feeling, behaviour, or attitude

Examples

• “How anxious do you feel on a scale of 1 to 6?”

  • 1 = Not anxious at all  6 = Very anxious

• “How often do you have bad dreams?”

  • 1 = Never 2 3 4 5 6 7 = Every night

• “On a scale of 1–7, how strongly do you agree that national service should be reintroduced to the UK?”

Evaluation of closed questions and rating scales

Strengths

• Provides a clear and structured way to measure attitudes or experiences

• Easy to analyse statistically and present graphically

Weaknesses

• Responses may be influenced by interpretation — what one person sees as “5 = anxious” might mean “3 = anxious” to someone else

• Participants may avoid extreme ends of the scale, leading to less accurate results

• Can lack validity — responses may not capture the full depth of a person’s thoughts or feelings

Open questions

• Open questions allow participants to answer in their own words, without being limited by pre-set options

• These questions aim to collect qualitative data, such as written descriptions, thoughts, or themes emerging from participants’ responses.

  • This provides more depth and insight into participants’ experiences and feelings

Examples

• “Tell me about one time when you felt anxious.”

• “How do you think other people would describe you?”

• "What do you think about reintroducing national service in the UK?"

Evaluation of open questions

Strengths

• Produces rich, detailed data that offers deeper understanding and high validity

• Allows participants to explain or elaborate on their views and to clarify any misunderstandings

Weaknesses

• Difficult to analyse, as responses vary widely and can’t easily be summarised numerically

• Time-consuming for the researcher to interpret and compare with other participants or over time