The survey method refers to verbal and communicative research methods, and implies interaction between a specialist and a client by filling in the answers to a list of pre-formulated questions.
Method of interrogation in psychology
This method is currently one of the most prevalent in the field of psychology. This is the easiest way for a specialist to obtain specific information for analysis. The survey, as a rule, consists in the process of obtaining answers to a list of important questions from the area in which the study is being conducted. As a rule, polls solve mass problems, because the specifics of their conduct allows you to get information in a short time not from one individual, but from a group of people.
Methods of questioning by type are divided into standardized and non-standardized. The first allow only the most general impressions of a case when, as in the latter, there are no exact frames, and in this case the researcher is able to change the course of the survey directly in the process, depending on the respondent's reaction. In this respect, the survey as a method of psychological research can be used for a variety of purposes and allows analysis of all possible aspects of the human psyche.
An important characteristic of the survey method is that the specialist should compose such program questions that correspond to the main task, but only specialists are available for understanding. These issues are further developed in a simple language.
Survey method - types
The methods of interviewing include the following types:
- questioning;
- personality tests;
- method of stairs;
- method of interviews (it is referred not only to the method of interview, but also to the method of conversation);
- questions.
All these basic survey methods allow you to quickly understand the problem of interest and it is easy to use this knowledge in the future.
Questioning method: what should be the questions?
When drafting a survey, it is important that each of the questions not only allows to characterize a person, but be specific and separate, logical and understandable, concise and simple. It is necessary to make sure that there are no hints or instructions on the specific type of answer in the question, this will allow avoiding stereotypedness on the part of the respondent. The language of test questions should be general, neutral and not contain expressive coloring. A special taboo works on questions that are of an impressive nature.
Depending on the nature of the research, the psychologist may include in the survey closed questions with a choice of several answer points or open questions to which the respondent should give some common answer. An obvious shortcoming of the survey method in the case of a choice of ready-made answers is the probability of an inattentive, ill-considered response, "automatism" in the filling,
Unstructured, open questions allow to respond in free form, which gives more accurate test results, but significantly complicates the processing of results. Often it takes a lot of time for both the respondent and the specialist. The merits and demerits of this method of questioning roughly counterbalance each other.
In addition, it is important for a specialist to choose the main type of questions that he will use: either subjective, when a person is supposed to decide how he would behave in a given situation, or projective ones that are asked in the third person and generally do not indicate a specific person .