SURVEY RESEARCH
EXPANSION BOX 12
Types of Nonresearch Interviews
reinterpreted questions to make them applicable to
their own idiosynactic, personal situations or to
make them easy to answer.^62
Interviewers have a difficult role. They encroach
on the respondents’ time and privacy, seeking coop-
eration and building rapport to obtain information
that may not directly benefit the respondents. They
may have to explain the nature of survey research
1.Job interview.An employer asks open-ended ques-
tions to gather information about a candidate for a
job and to observe how the candidate presents him-
self or herself. The candidate (respondent) initiates
the contact and attempts to present a positive self-
image. The employer (interviewer) tries to discover
the candidate’s true talents and flaws. A serious, judg-
mental tone exists with the employer having the
power to accept or reject the candidate. This often
creates tension and limited trust. The parties may
have conflicting goals, and each may use some
deception. The results are not confidential.
2.Assistance interview.A helping professional (coun-
selor, lawyer, social worker, medical doctor, etc.) seeks
information on a client’s problem, including back-
ground and current conditions. The helping profes-
sional (interviewer) uses the information to understand
and translate the client’s (respondent’s) problem into
professional terms for problem resolution. The tone is
serious and concerned. There is usually low tension
and high mutual trust. The parties share the goal of
resolving the client’s problem, and deception is rare.
The interview results are usually confidential.
3.Journalistic interview.A journalist gathers informa-
tion from a celebrity, newsmaker, witness, or back-
ground person for later use in constructing a
newsworthy story. The journalist (interviewer) uses
various skills in attempting to get novel information,
some that may not be easily revealed, and “quotable
quotes” from the news source (respondent). The jour-
nalist uses the interview information selectively in
combination with other information, usually beyond
the respondent’s control. The tone and degree of trust
and tension vary greatly. The goals of the parties may
diverge, and each may use deception. The interview
results are not confidential and they may get a lot of
publicity.
4.Interrogation or investigative interview.A criminal
justice official, auditor, or other person in authority
seriously asks questions to obtain information from
an accused person or others with information about
wrongdoing. The official (interviewer) will use the
information as evidence to construct a case against
someone (possibly the respondent). The tension is
often extreme with mutual distrust. The goals of the
parties diverge sharply, and each often uses decep-
tion. Interview results are rarely confidential and may
become part of an official, public record.
5.Entertainment interview.An emcee or show host
offers comments and asks open-ended questions to
a celebrity or other person who may digress in
answers or begin a monologue. The primary goal is
to stimulate interest, enjoyment, or gaiety among an
audience. Often, the style displayed by each is more
central than any information revealed. The host
(interviewer) seeks an immediate response or reac-
tion in the audience, while the celebrity (respondent)
tries to increase his or her fame or reputation. The
tone is light, tension is low, and trust is moderately
high. The limited goals of each often converge. They
may deceive each other or join in deceiving the audi-
ence. The situation is the opposite to one in which
confidentiality can occur.
People can mix the types of interviews, and people
often use several types. For example, the social
worker in a social control role instead of a helping
role may conduct an investigative interview. Or a
police officer helping a crime victim may use an assis-
tance interview instead of an interrogation.
or give hints about social roles in an interview. At
the same time, interviewers must remain neutral
and objective. They try to reduce embarrassment,
fear, and suspicion so that respondents feel com-
fortable revealing information. Good interviewers
monitor the pace and direction of the social inter-
action as well as the content of answers and the
behavior of respondents.
