Consistency of interview methods in appraisal of attitudes

Abstract

The consistency of interview-ratings among trained and partly-trained interviewers was investigated in this study. 200 employees filled out attitude questionnaire booklets. Within six weeks after these questionnaires were completed, the employees were interviewed by six trained and experienced interviewers. Three core questions which were self-judged by each employee, and rated by the interviewers, were also objectively rated by two individuals who had not done any of the interviewing. Three main results were: (1) interviewers overestimate attitude in comparison with self-judged attitude; (2) objective rating of interview record sheets is closer to self-rating (questionnaire) than the interviewers' rating; and (3) interviewers vary significantly among themselves in the degree of correspondence with the self-ratings of the questionnaire. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)