Questions may be presented as open-ended, dichotomous or multiple choice. Which Is the best format? This depends very much on the aim of the particular question, for instance whether you are looking for as wide a range of responses as possible, or sensitivity In highlighting different answers, or just to act as a filter for questions which will follow. One factor is certain: In survey research there is a strong practice: a) case for closed or multi-choice questions because they allow pre-coding. This means faster production and lower costs. Pre-coding also means more likelihood of valid data: there are fewer opportunities for lapses of memory on the part of the respondent and for Incorrect recording by the Interviewer. Having said this, it is equally true to say that too many questions In one format can lead to a boring questionnaire, so try to be like a good cook and provide some variety!
"Life-Psycho-Analysis" is psychological analysis of ordinary people in their daily behavior. This is a method which requires to comprehensively understanding from the perspective of why do they act in their shopping behavior as consumers or their voting behavior. By comprehensively understanding (namely, to follow up and recognize what they have experienced) the psychology of respondents, we would easily succeed in developing a new concept. Therefore, Life-Psycho-Analysis also becomes a method to make a strategical proposal or to plan project through research. For this we do not necessarily need the theory of Freudian phychoanalysis nor systematical theory of phenomenology. An interviewer is required to be superb in his ability as a marketer and researcher at the same time. He has to execute six different roles (ego-functions) in his interview which promise to maintain the high quality of research and to develop new concepts. Interviews are necessary to analyze the psychology of ordinary people; there are two kinds of interviews. One kind is one-on-one and the other is a group interview. When one is just looking at the outer form of the interviews, this seems simple because the form is just that an interviewer sees respondents and talks with them. However, the TRUE nature and essence of an interview is in the structure of recognition and not in its form.
The quantitive and qualitative productivity of interviews depends upon many factors. To these belong also the interviewers themselves, who under certain circumstances can exercise a considerable influence on the interview situation and on the outcome of the enquiry. The tendency is, in the case of standardised interviews, for the chance or the danger of such influence by the interviewer to be minimised, because in such a case there is no possibility of variation in the putting of the questions and their order. The many problems that nevertheless remain, and the additional difficulties that arise as a result of standardisation are thoroughly discussed on a theoretical basis in the literature. Unfortunately, however, there is a lack, both by number and extent, of practical investigations of this group of questions (or of publication of the results thereof!) that would make it possible to verify, to improve and to evaluate these theoretical questions. In this connection it was interesting to link up with two larger surveys which were carried out under the author's leadership within the framework of the seminar for market and consumer research at the Friedrich-Alexander University at Erlangen-Nuremberg, a detailed questioning of the interviewer (about his experience when interviewing people in Nuremberg - an enquiry into enquiries, in fact), and to evaluate the results .
The following considerations aim at determining the criteria decisive for appreciating the value of each interview and as such for the whole study. With this in mind a study among 100 companies which may be considered as potential buyers of a special kind of machine has shown to what extent the quota of refusals differs with various categories of questions response themes. The second step was an analysis under the aspect of in how far the average quota of refusals depends on the operating characteristics of the investigated plant and on the personal characteristics of the interviewed expert.
The following considerations aim at determining the criteria decisive for appreciating the value of each interview and as such for the whole study. With this in mind a study among 100 companies which may be considered as potential buyers of a special kind of machine has shown to what extent the quota of refusals differs with various categories of questions response themes. The second step was an analysis under the aspect of in how far the average quota of refusals depends on the operating characteristics of the investigated plant and on the personal characteristics of the interviewed expert.