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Response Sets
As if these difficulties were not enough to contend with, it now seems that there are
people who have a response set to agree (yea-sayers) or to disagree (nay-sayers). Couch
and Keniston (I960), two psychologists who have analyzed response tendencies as a
personality variable, describe yea-sayers as impulsive people who respond easily to
stimuli. Nay-sayers, on the other hand, inhibit and suppress their impulses and tend to
reject emotional stimuli. The language in which statements are cast also affects response
bias. Yea-sayers are particularly attracted to statements that are enthusiastic and colloquial
in tone. On the rare occasions when nay-savers do agree, they are inclined to go along
with statements that seem guarded, qualified or cautious.

INTERVIEW
In addition to developing skill in the art of questioning, the interviewer is sometimes
responsible for giving the meeting structure. In most cases an interview should have an
apparent structure—an opening, a body, and a closing—and the interviewer will have
specific responsibilities during each part.
Opening of the Interview
In beginning an interview, an interviewer has three basic responsibilities.
1. to introduce the objectives of the interview to the respondent: a brief statement of
purpose is reassuring to the respondent;
2. to establish rapport with the respondent, to get him or her to feel that the interviewer
can be trusted and that the meeting does not present a threatening situation;
3. to motivate the respondent to answer questions. Sometimes the respondent's interest
seems ensured. For example, a person applying for a job will probably do his or her
utmost to answer questions. But what if you are conducting some research interviews?
Respondents may be reluctant to talk (consider door-to-door canvassing as a
nuisance). An interviewer should never assume that a potential respondent is just
waiting to be interviewed. Instead he or she should act as though the person is busy
and try to show briefly why it is important that the person give a few moments of his or
her time.
Body of the Interview
The body of the interview constitutes the major portion of time spent with the
respondent, and it should be carefully planned for best results. A number of different types
of questions can be used in an interview. Each has advantages and disadvantages. In
addition, the sequence of questions used is important.
The first step in interview planning is to determine the topics to be covered.
After selecting the topics, the interviewer determines the actual sequence of
questions. At this point the funnel sequence is often useful: the interviewer begins with
broad questions and gradually makes them more specific (Kahn and Cannell, 1968). Here
is a funnel sequence that was used in a discussion of population control:
1. What are your views about increasing population growth in the United States?
2. What are your feelings about controlling our population growth?
3. Do you think legalized abortion should be used to help control population in the United
States?
4. Should there be restrictions on abortions? '
5. What restrictions should there be?
Because each question in the sequence is more specific than the preceding one, the