Interviewing Techniques in Laboratory Settings

 Introduction 

Interview for admission in Gurukul was developed in Bharat almost 3000 years ago. When Chanakya (Vishnu Gupt) sought admission to Takshila University, the Kulpati (Vice-chancellor) interviewed the young Vishnu Gupt. In Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine in India, interviews were conducted to understand the mental and emotional state of the patient. This helped in diagnosing illnesses and prescribing treatments.

The modern interview technique was developed almost 130 years ago in the Western world through the journalism. 

Interviewing Skills

            The interview must be conducted with ease, competency and proficiency. Interviews are of two types, i.e., Generic and Specific. Following Skills: -

1. Acceptance,
2. Empathy,
3. Communication skills (Genuine listening and articulated speaking),
4. Comprehension,
5. Rapport building (Relating Skill),
6. Paraphrasing and remembering,
7. Keen observational skills,
8. Engaging and Exploring,
9. Information gathering (taking notes),
10. Probing question ability,
11. Reflecting ability,
12. Assessing, analysing and decision-making ability and
13. Negotiation skills.

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Sociometry Test

 
Origin: The word sociometry (coined by Jacob Levy Moreno, 1951) comes from the Latin “socius,” meaning social and the Latin “metrum,” meaning measure. The words therefore mean that sociometry is a way of measuring the degree of relatedness among people.

Author: Jacob Levy Moreno, 1951.

Definition: The mathematical study of psychological properties of populations, the experimental technique of and the results obtained by application of quantitative methods.

Objective: Measuring the degree of relatedness or affiliation can not only help in evaluating the degree of cohesiveness amongst the members of the group, work teams, class or organisations. It is a measure which helps in evaluating how individuals associate with each other when acting as a group toward a specified end or goal (Creswell in Moreno, 1960, p. 140).

Purpose: Sociometry serves as a powerful tool in lessening the communication gap and reducing conflict by helping the group to analyse, examine and evaluate its own dynamics. It can also be helpful in finding out the relevant areas or group that requires therapy or training. It help in bringing about positive change and required interventions.

Requirements of Sociometry Test

1. It must be conducted where people know each other.
2. At least (minimum) a group consisting of 5-6 members are asked to select or choose members of the same group based on a specific criteria.
3. The choices of respondents must not be shared with group members.
4. The test taker should be conversant with the working style of the group.
5. The experimenter must be culturally sensitive and understand the nuances of group culture.
6. The experimenter must be well versed with group dynamics.
7. The experimenter must have observation skills.

Important components

1. Star
2. Mutuals
3. Clique/chain
4. Isolate
5. Sociogram
6. Sociometric matrix

Requirements of Sociometry Test

1. Sociometric Star: The person whose name is selected (liked) by maximum members of the group is known as the sociometric star.
2. Mutuals: Where two people choose each other.
3. Chains or Cliques: Where person A chooses person B who chooses person C who chooses person D and so on.
4. Isolates: the person who has not been chosen (disliked) by anyone within the group.
5. Sociogram: A map, of networks is called a sociogram
6. Sociometric Matrix: The data for the sociogram may also be displayed as a table or matrix of each person’s choices. Such a table is called a sociomatrix.

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16 PF (Personality Factor) Test

Test Name: 16 PF (personality factors). These are functionally independent psychologically meaningful dimensions. 

Author: Raymond Bernard Cattell in1949.

Definition - The characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations.

Definition - Personality refers to unique and relatively stable qualities that characterize an individual’s behaviour across different situations over a period of time.

Personality is characterised by the following features:

1. It has both physical and psychological components.

2. Its expression in terms of behaviour is fairly unique in a given individual.

3. Its main features do not easily change with time.

4. It is dynamic in the sense that some of its features may change due to internal or external situational demands. Thus, personality is adaptive to situations

Personality Factors by Raymond Cattell

               He said that humans are innately driven by ergs, which means goals were created because of hunger, curiosity, anger, fear, or other basic motivations which are found in both humans and primates. Ergs example Food Seeking, Mating, Gregariousness, Parental Protectiveness, Exploration, Safety, Self-Assertion, Pugnacity, Narcissistic Sex, and Acquisitiveness.

               Socially created goals are called socially shaped ergs (profession, family and home, spouse, religion) and Cattell gave it the term socially shaped ergic manifolds (SEM). SEM helps in explaining the contribution of the environment to human behaviour.

Formula to predict behaviour (Cattel)

R = f (S ,P )

Where,  R refers to the nature of a person’s specific response,

                              f refers to the unspecified function,

                              S refers to the stimulus situation at a given moment in time and

                              P refers to the Personality structure.

This formula signifies that the nature of a person’ specific response (R), meaning what the person does or thinks or verbalises, is some unspecified function (f) of the stimulus situation (S) at a given moment in time and also of the individual’s personality structure (P).

Personality Factors by Raymond Cattell

Personality is the interaction between the genetic and personality systems and the socio cultural milieu within which the organism is functioning 

ü  There is a common structure on which people differ from each other.

ü  This structure could be determined empirically.

ü  He tried to identify the primary traits from a huge array of descriptive adjectives found in language using factor analysis, to discover the common structures.

ü  Found 16 primary or source traits or factors (16 PF).

Ø  Source traits are stable, and are considered as the building blocks of personality. The source traits are described in terms of opposing tendencies.

Ø  Surface traits that result out of the interaction of source traits.

16 Personality Factors (16 PF)

1. Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical
2. Apprehension: Worried versus confident
3. Dominance: Forceful versus submissive
4. Emotional stability: Calm versus high-strung
5. Liveliness: Spontaneous versus restrained
6. Openness to change: Flexible versus attached to the familiar
7. Perfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplined
8. Privateness: Discreet versus open
9. Reasoning: Abstract versus concrete
10. Rule-consciousness: Conforming versus non-conforming
11. Self-reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependent
12. Sensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-minded
13. Social boldness: Uninhibited versus shy
14. Tension: Inpatient versus relaxed
15. Vigilance: Suspicious versus trusting
16. Warmth: Outgoing versus reserved

Salient Features

1.    Age: 16 years and above

2.    Test was culmination of 40 years factor analysis on normal and clinical groups.

3.    Forms: 5 (A, B, C, D and E). Forms A, B, C and D are suitable for individuals whose education level is roughly equivalent of normal high school students. And Form E is designed for individuals with marked educational and/or reading deficiency.

4.    No. of items A = 187, B = 187, C = 99, D = 99, E = 128.

5.    Time required A and 45 to 60 minutes, C and D 25 to 30 minutes.

6.    Three alternative answers, forced choice for Form A, B, C and D and for E it is two alternative choices.

7.    For maximum precision minimum two forms should be used on adults. However, due to time constraints one form also can be used.

8.    Most frequently used form is A.

9.    Reading level of Form A and B is 7-8^th grade, Form C and D is 6-7^th grade and Form E 3-4^th grade.

10.    Reliability for Form A and B

                Short interval (immediate to 2 weeks) test retest reliability - .80

               Long interval (2 months to 8 years) test retest reliability - .78

11.    For other forms check manual.

12.    Paper pencil Self administering test.

13.    Scoring: Use scoring key. Add all points and obtain raw score.

14.    Convert raw score into Sten (Standard Ten Mean of Sten score is 5.5 and SD is 2.0) score.

15.    Sten scores 4 to 7 normal while 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10 are extreme and occur less in normal population.

16.    Indian norms on Form A and B were given by SD Kappor in 1991.   

Uses of 16 PF

Ø  Career counseling,

Ø  Marital counseling, and

Ø  For employee testing and selection in business

Ø  Personality assessment

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Vineland Social Maturity Scale

 Introduction 

Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) was originally developed by E.A. Doll in 1940, and adapted to the Indian scenario by AJ Malin in 1965. EA Doll named it after the Vineland Training School for the Mentally Retarded, where he developed it. It is a semi-structured assessment based on an interview with the caregiver and evaluates the child’s social ability. The concept of VSMS was built on certain theories of social, and emotional Intelligence.

           It is a questionnaire method that measures adaptive functioning in the context of self-help skills, self-direction, socialization, and communication.

What it Measures?

1.            Communication: This domain assesses an individual's ability to communicate effectively through verbal and nonverbal means. It includes skills such as understanding and using language, expressing needs and wants, and social communication.

2.            Daily living skills: This domain assesses an individual's ability to perform self-help skills, such as eating, dressing, and hygiene, as well as domestic skills, such as cooking and cleaning.

3.            Socialization: This domain assesses an individual's ability to interact with others and engage in social activities. It includes skills such as making friends, initiating and maintaining conversations, and understanding social cues.

4.            Motor skills: This domain assesses an individual's ability to perform physical tasks, including gross and fine motor skills.

               The VSMS measures the differential social capacities of an individual. It provides an estimate of Social Age (SA) and Social Quotient (SQ) and shows a high correlation (0.80) with intelligence. It is designed to measure social maturation in eight social areas:

Ø  Self-help General (SHG),

Ø  Self-help Eating (SHE),

Ø  Self-help Dressing (SHD),

Ø  Self-direction (SD),

Ø  Occupation (OCC),

Ø  Communication (COM),

Ø  Locomotion (LOM), and

Ø  Socialization (SOC).

               The Indian adapted scale consists of 89 test items grouped into year levels. It was adapted to the Indian setting by A. J. Malin in 1965 and later by Bharat Raj in 1992.

1.          Self-help General (SHG) - This assesses whether a child can perform general activities on their own, like head holding, telling what time it is, etc.

2.          Self-help Eating (SHE) - Assess whether a child handles his/her eating pattern and takes care of their nutritional needs.

3.           Self-help Dressing (SHD) - Assess the child’s ability to dress or cleanse themselves.

4.          Self-direction (SD) - This includes how a child gradually breaks away from authority, followed by the assumption of responsibility and authority for others.

5.           Occupation (OCC) -  This includes playful activities during infancy, self-exploratory task, etc.

6.        Communication (COM) - Assess the social usage of language, literacy, and other means of communication.

7.            Locomotion (LOM) -  Involves social movements associated with social responsibilities.

8.            Socialization (SOC) – This includes a child’s social skills.

       

Salient Features

ü  It has eight social domains with 117 items,

ü  Age range - from 0 to 15 years.

ü  It is usually administered through the caregiver.

ü  Used in clinical, teaching, and research settings.

ü  It has been standardized and practiced in India which has 89 items in 8 domains.

ü  It is often used to assess intelligence, by proxy, especially when other standardized intelligence tests cannot be administered.

ü  In India, VSMS is mandatory to administer to arrive at the level of disability, for certification as well as for providing disability benefits.

ü  VSMS is administered for the main purpose of determining the social and adaptive functions.

ü  Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) is generally used to determine three related but different aspects, which are (i) social and adaptive functions, (ii) level of disability, and (iii) intelligence.

Recording

        Record Sheet is used for noting the child’s responses. Mark the item pass (+) if the child is able to perform correctly and fail (-) if otherwise. Half credits may be given if it can be presumed that the child could have passed the item if the opportunity was present. These half credits receive full credit if they lie between two passed items.

Scoring        

        Add up passed scores (full and half). Find out the Social Age (SA) from Appendix-11 of the VSMS manual. Compute Social Quotient (SQ) by dividing SA by CA and multiplying by 100. Assess maturity levels both in terms of SA and SQ for each of the eight social areas by referring to VSMS norms and enter in the columns of the social maturity constellation record.

Psychometric Properties

        The reliability of the VSMS ranged from 0.85 to 0.9. It has good concurrent validity of at least 0.8 with intelligence tests in children with mental retardations. The maturity age associated with the level of functioning was calculated along with a social maturity age that is then converted to an index called the ‘social quotient’ (SQ). The VSMS total score was validated by Roszkowski (1980) who found a strong correlation of 0.79.

Applications

It is used at least for three different (but mutually not exclusive) purposes.

Ø  to assess social and adaptive functions, in different domains and to plan intervention

Ø  to assess the extent of disability, for certification and providing disability benefits, and

Ø  to assess intelligence

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