THE INTERVIEWER ROLE

1
THE INTERVIEWER ROLE
2
GENERAL RULES

• Ask questions as worded unless explicitly given
  scope for change
• Try to ask questions in order
• Avoiding leading the respondent
• Use pauses to punctuate the interview and stay in
  control of the interview rhythm

3
INTERVIEWER CHARACTERISTICS

• Race and Ethnicity
• Sex cross sex interviewing often optimal when
  topics not overly personal. Women interviewers
  find it easier to gain rapport but not measurably
  better than males in gaining respondent
  compliance and frankness
• Social Status difficulty obtaining honest
  answers to controversial questions when
  interviewer is higher status than respondent
• Age approximately same age whenever possible
  age-sex interaction
• Clothing and Grooming. Similarity to the way the
  respondent dresses rather than dressing up is the
  default option. But many exceptions to this when
  the respondent expects the interview to be
  dressed in a certain way uniform, business
  attire, etc. Respectful

4
INTERVIEWER EFFECTS

• Variations in establishing rapport and trust
• Familiarity with the instrument
• Thoroughness of briefing (and debriefing)
• Stake of interviewer in the study
• Conscious and unconscious leading of the
  respondent
• Social desirability. Masking of disapproval
• Cases of interviewer fraud

5
TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS

• A highly attractive and growing technique largely
  because of cost efficiencies
• With the growing near universality of household
  phone coverage, concerns about sampling bias have
  diminished but not disappeared. But area code
  based demographics also make it possible to use
  phone sampling to develop sophisticated complex
  stratified population samples
• You have 30 Seconds to show you arent selling
  anything.
• Keep your phone interviews SHORT, SHORT, SHORT!!!
• Open ended questions can be used but only in
  small numbers
• Cold calls and warm calls The value of the
  intro letter

6
QUALITY OF LIFE AND MOOD

• Convergent and Discriminant Validity
• Discriminate from
• Transitory good mood
• Upbeat disposition
• Situational stimulii
• Ideological alienation
• Religious rejection of the world

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Karl Schuesslers Social Life Feelings
Multi-dimensional Scale

• Citation Karl F. Schuessler, Measuring Social
  Life Feelings. 1982. San Francisco Josssey-Bass.
• Discovered cross-cultural differences in the
  importance of ascribed characteristics (German
  sample) versus achieved characteristics (American
  sample) as the basis for positive social life
  feelings.

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Schuessler Feeling Up Scale

• I sometimes feel I have litte control over the
  direction my life is taking
• When I make plans, Im almost certain I can make
  them work
• I was happier as a child than I am now
• I couldnt be much happier
• I get a lot of fun out of life
• I am satisfied with the way things are working
  out for me
• The future looks very bright to me
• Things get better for me as I get older
• I have a great deal in common with most people
• I seem to be marking time these days
• There is much purpose to what Im doing at present

9
Schussler Feeling Down Scale

• I feel that Im not a part of things
• I feel somewhat apart even among friends
• I sometimes feel forgotten by friends
• At times I feel that I am a stranger to myself
• I just cant help feeling that my life is not
  very useful
• Very lonely or remote from other people
• Depressed or very unhappy
• Bored
• So restless couldnt sit long in a chair
• Vaguely uneasy about something without knowing
  why

10
Schuessler People Cynicism Scale

• In a society where almost everyone is out for
  himself, people soon come to distrust each other
• Most people know what to do with their lives
• Too many people in our society are just out for
  themselves and dont really care for anyone else
• Many people in our society are lonely and
  unrelated to their fellow human beings
• Many people are friendly only because they want
  something from you
• Many people dont know what to do with their
  lives

11
Schuessler Demoralization Scale

• I have little influence over the things that
  happen to me
• I consider myself to be in good physical
  condition
• The world is too complicated for me to understand
• Compared to others, my life is not too good
• I find it difficult to be optimistic about
  anything nowadays
• I seem to be marking time these days
• I cant do much for other people
• Im feeling on top of the world
• Pleased at about having accomplished something

12
Schuesslers Future Outlook Scale

• We are slowly losing our freedom to the
  government
• I have little confidence in the government today
• Many things our parents stood for are going down
  the drain
• The lot of the average person is getting worse
  not better
• The future looks very bleak
• Most people will be out of work in the next few
  years
• Friends are easy to find
• Taking everything into account, the worlkd is
  getting better
• In my opinion, this country is sick