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Case Study

Explain why the researchers' clinical and response requirements lead them to select an in-person interview survey, and discuss the primary financial obstacle they must resolve if they use this mode.

Case context: A team of clinical researchers is designing a study to assess the psychological well-being of individuals in a rural community. To ensure the study's success, they require a survey administration mode that guarantees the highest possible participation rate and enables the researchers to make personal, clinical judgments about the respondents' mental health states during the interaction. However, the research team is operating under a very tight budget.

Question: Explain why the researchers' clinical and response requirements lead them to select an in-person interview survey, and discuss the primary financial obstacle they must resolve if they use this mode.

Sample answer: The researchers' requirements lead them to select an in-person interview because this mode involves direct, face-to-face contact, which yields the highest response rates and allows the interviewer to make important personal judgments about the respondent, such as those needed for mental health evaluations. However, the financial obstacle they will face is that the in-person interview is the most expensive survey administration method to conduct, which directly conflicts with their tight budget.

Key points:

  • In-person interviews involve direct, face-to-face contact, yielding the highest response rates.
  • The face-to-face format allows researchers to make important personal judgments, which are critical for mental health evaluations.
  • The primary drawback is that in-person interviewing is the most expensive survey administration method, creating a conflict for low-budget studies.

Rubric: A successful answer must demonstrate comprehension of the trade-offs by explaining: 1) How the in-person interview's face-to-face contact satisfies the clinical need for personal judgments (mental health evaluations) and the need for the highest response rates. 2) That the major obstacle to using this method is its high cost, as it is the most expensive survey administration method.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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