Outline

1. Outline • Definition • The interview as test • Types of question • Types of interview • Principles of effective interviewing • Problems the interviewer may face

2. An interview is a conversation with a purpose Purpose: gathering information about the person being interviewed. Outcome: data for description, evaluation, and prediction 1. Definition

3. Huffcutt et al. (2001) Reviewed 47 studies of the employment interview Assessed what interviews tell us about: Personality Social skills Mental ability 2. The interview as test

4. Huffcutt et al.: Employment interviews are not like other tests Don’t tell us something specific Designed to allow a conclusion – e.g., should we hire this person? Outcome: complex function of many dimensions 2. The interview as test

5. 3. Types of question • Open-ended • Closed-ended

6. tailored to individual interviewee cannot be answered specifically responsive to what interviewee just said interviewee decides what is important to discuss, which tells you something about them Open-ended questions

7. Examples of open-ended questions: What kinds of cars do you like? Tell me about your father Open-ended questions

8. can be answered specifically interviewee has to recall something same questions for all interviewees Closed-ended questions

9. Examples of closed-ended questions: Do you like sports cars? Is your father strict? Closed-ended questions

10. 4. Types of interview • Unstructured • Structured • Semi-structured • Group

11. Questions follow from previous response – they’re not set ahead of time Follow up with understanding responses to encourage more disclosure Unstructured interviews

12. Advantages: Lots of data Unexpected things learned Disadvantages: subjective evaluation may wander off topic non-standardized – can’t be replicated Unstructured interviews

13. same procedure for all interviewees same questions asked in same sequence closed, short, clearly-worded questions follow a flow-chart (include/exclude some questions depending on answers to others) Structured interviews

14. Advantages: standardized format objective evaluation Disadvantage: one size may not fit all Structured interviews

15. Shares some features with structured interview, some features with unstructured interview Guided by a script which gives focus Allows you to explore interesting responses Semi-structured interviews

16. Usually 3 – 10 people at one time May be structured or unstructured Really dependent upon skilled moderator Group interviews

17. Advantages rich data variety of views Disadvantages: expensive “loud-mouths” may dominate conformity pressure? Group interviews

18. 5. Principles of effective interviewing • Be responsible • Plan ahead • Keep the interaction flowing • Have the appropriate attitude

19. Interviewer sets the tone Interviewer is responsible for success or failure of interview Professionals accept responsibility Be responsible

20. Who will be interviewed? Where? When? What is the purpose? Which questions will you ask? In what order? Will you record? Plan ahead

21. Conversation skills Comprehension monitoring Verbatim playback Paraphrasing Restatement Summarizing Clarifying Understanding Keep interaction flowing

22. Carl Rogers created a typology of interviewer’s responses to interviewee 5 levels varying in how well the response connects to what interviewee just said Types of understanding response

23. To be avoided: Level 1 – a series of non-sequiturs Level 2 – little connection with interviewee’s last response For unstructured interviews: Level 3 – interviewer’s response is interchangeable with interviewee’s last statement Types of understanding response

24. Primarily used in therapeutic interviews: Level 4 –adds “noticeably” to interviewee’s response Level 5 – adds “significantly” to interviewee’s response Types of understanding response

25. Interpersonal attraction predicts interpersonal influence Be warm, genuine, accepting, understanding, open, honest, fair Have appropriate attitude

26. 6. Problems interviewer may face • Social facilitation • Spotlight effect • Validity & reliability issues

27. Occurs when people act like other people around them May not know you are doing this May communicate something E.g., Goldstein & Cialdini (2007) – spyglass effect Chartrand & Bargh (1999) – chameleon effect Akehurst & Vrij (1999) Social facilitation

28. Gilovich et al (2000): People tend to believe that the social spotlight shines more brightly on them than it really does. You think other people notice all your mistakes and silliness But they don’t Spotlight effect

29. predictive validity scores for interview data range from .09 to .94 (Wagner, 1949) consider interview data as tentative – a source of hypotheses to be tested against other data Problems of validity

30. Halo effect (Thorndike, 1920) tendency to judge specific traits on the basis of a general impression generalize judgments from limited experience Problems of validity

31. General standoutishness (Hollingworth, 1922) general judgment made on basis of one notable characteristic beautiful people often rated as more witty, likable, socially skilled, intelligent, warm (Feingold, 1992) Problems of validity

32. Cross-cultural interviews: lots of potential for misunderstanding Be flexible; introspect; learn about groups you will be in contact with Problems of validity

33. E.g., Darou et al. (2000): northern Quebec Cree ejected 7 of 8 psychologists who came to study them. Researchers asked Cree for self-disclosure, which is socially inappropriate among the Cree Problems of validity

34. inter-interviewer agreement twice as high for structured as for unstructured interviews may be low because 2 interviewers spontaneously focus on different things if so, train interviewers to focus on specific things that matter Problems of reliability