PSY405

Interviewing Techniques

Fall II 2007

INSTRUCTOR:

Jamey DiVietro

PHONE:

EMAIL:


REQUIRED TEXTS:

Title / Interviewing: Principles and Practices
Author(s) / Stewart, C.J.. & Cash, W.B. Jr.
Copyright / (2006)
Publisher / McGraw Hill Publishing
ISBN / 0-07-298-776-6
Edition / 11th Edition

This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO

ArgosyUniversity

COURSE SYLLABUS

PSY405

Interviewing Techniques

Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Jamey DiVietro

Campus: 350 N. Orleans Street

Contact Information:

Office Hours: By appointment

Short Faculty Bio:

Course description:Interviewing Techniques is an applied course designed to develop basic relationship building, interviewing, reporting, problem-solving and decision-making skills with diverse clients. The focus is on fundamentals and techniques that cut across multiple interviewing situations. The fundamentals and techniques learned will prepare students for current real-world applications. For those students planning to attend graduate school, the fundamentals and techniques learned will serve as a foundation for the development and refinement of clinical skills.

Course Pre-requisites: PSY101

Required Textbook:

Stewart, C.J.. & Cash, W.B. Jr. (2006). Interviewing: Principles and Practices. 11th Edition. . McGraw Hill Publishing. ISBN: 0-07-298-776-6.

Technology:Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM, printer; Microsoft Office Acrobat (full version), Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08.; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 7.5 Weeks

Contact Hours: 45 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Program Outcomes:

  1. Cognitive Abilities
  2. Critical Thinking - Given a psychological issue, employ skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to respond to the issue.
  3. Information Literacy - Given a research question related to psychology, access information from a variety of sources and select appropriate sources to respond to the question.
  4. Research
  5. Understanding Research Methods – Given an article about research findings in the field of psychology from a scholarly journal, identify the research methods used and the findings of the article.
  6. Identifying Research Methods – Identify the appropriate statistical tools and basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
  7. Communication Skills
  8. Oral - Effectively present psychological concepts orally as appropriate to the audience.
  9. Written - Effectively present psychological information, in writing, using software and style appropriate to the audience.
  10. Ethics/Diversity
  11. Ethics - Identify the issues and challenges related to ethics in the field of psychology.
  12. Diversity - Identify the issues and challenges related to diversity in the field of psychology.
  13. Knowledge of the Field
  14. Foundations – Recognize the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, applications, and historical trends in psychology.
  15. Knowledge of Applied Psychology
  16. Apply psychological principles to personal, social, and/or organizational issues.

Course Objectives:

  1. Information Literacy: (Program Outcome(s): 1.2, 3.1)
  2. Students will examine, learn, and understand fundamental principles of interviewing processes, structure, behavior, and questions.
  3. Examine and understand the formulation and use of various types of questions in various practices.
  4. Explore various theoretical approaches to interviewing.
  5. Explore the various styles in interviewing.
  6. Examine the significance of time and the impact of the environment on the structure of an interview.
  7. Discuss the beginning, middle, and end stages of an interview.
  8. Analyze the impact of interviewer characteristics and behaviors on the therapeutic relationship with the interviewee.
  9. Students will examine, learn, and understand the role of establishing and maintaining rapport in interviewing situations as well as various methods used to establish and maintain it.
  10. Discuss the various factors related to establishing and maintaining rapport.
  11. Analyze the impact of the interviewer’s behavior on the interviewee.
  12. Discuss various methods used to establish and maintain rapport.
  13. Students will examine, learn, and understand principles of behavioral observation and interpretation.
  14. Discuss the various aspects of interviewee behavior that require attention during an interview.
  15. Analyze consistencies and discrepancies between an interviewee’s:
  16. Behavior and affect
  17. Behavior and speech
  18. Verbal and nonverbal behaviors
  19. Discuss interpretation and its significance in interviewing situations.
  20. Explore the observation and interpretation of behavior.
  21. Students will examine, learn, and understand report writing methods, techniques, and skills.
  22. Review written reports for flow of information, accuracy, clarity, and professionalism.
  23. Examine report-writing styles.
  24. Knowledge of Applied Psychology/Oral Communication Skills:(Program Outcome(s): 3.1, & 6)
  25. Students will develop, practice and demonstrate fundamental questioning, attending, and listening techniques and skills.
  26. Demonstrate through mock interviews basic attending skills, such as using appropriate eye contact, encouraging, empathizing, reflecting feelings and meanings, and summarizing what transpired.
  27. Demonstrate the ability to formulate appropriate and diverse interview questions that assist the interview process.
  28. Discuss the process of attending, and examine methods of attending verbally and nonverbally.
  29. Analyze the importance of identifying and attending to an interviewee’s feelings, thoughts, context, and meaning.
  30. Students will develop, practice, and demonstrate skills for building and maintaining rapport.
  31. Demonstrate rapport-building and relationship-building skills.
  32. Demonstrate increased self-awareness and the ability to introspect.
  33. Students will develop, practice, and demonstrate behavioral observation and interpretation skills.
  34. Demonstrate skills in attending to and interpreting verbal and nonverbal messages.
  35. Discuss appropriate and inappropriate uses of confrontation in an interview.
  36. Knowledge of Applied Psychology/Written Communication Skills:(Program Outcome(s): 3.2, & 6)
  37. Students will develop, practice, and demonstrate appropriate report writing methods, techniques, and skills.
  38. Review written reports for flow of information, accuracy, clarity, and professionalism.
  39. Critique the questions asked in the interview with the information obtained.
  40. Integrate the information obtained during an interview in a written report, including the following:
  41. Purposes and goals of the interview
  42. Demographics of the interviewee
  43. Strengths and limitations of the information obtained
  44. Recommendations
  45. Knowledge of Applied Psychology/ Diversity(Program Outcome(s): 3.1, 4.2, & 6)
  46. Students will examine, learn, and understand how bias, culture, gender, sexuality and ethnicity influence the interview process. They will learn to use this information to inform decision-making and interviewing behavior.
  47. Discuss the impact of bias, culture, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity on interviewing behavior.
  48. Discuss the sociopolitical treatment of minority groups and its impact on minorities in the position of an interviewer or an interviewee.
  49. Analyze the specific factors to be considered when working with a diverse clientele.
  50. Compare ethnic, gender, spiritual, and cultural differences in attitudes as they relate to the behavior of both an interviewer and an interviewee.
  51. Examine personal beliefs, attitudes, and biases and their potential effects on interviewing.
  52. Critical Thinking: (Program Outcome(s): 1.1)
  53. Students will examine, learn, compare and contrast the benefits and drawbacks of various interviewing approaches, structures, and methods. They will further learn to utilize this knowledge to select appropriate approaches, structures, and methods given the interviewing situation.
  54. Examine the benefits and drawbacks of various interviewing approaches, structures, and methods.
  55. Students will be exposed to and examine different opinions and stances with respect to interviewing (e.g. whether gathering information and formulating ideas before the interview helps or biases and interferes). They will learn to evaluate the opinions and stances and use the evaluation to inform decision-making.
  56. Evaluate the impact of formulating opinions and hypotheses prior to an interview.
  57. Evaluate how structured versus open-ended interviews can influence information gathering and outcomes.
  58. Evaluate the use of the interviewing skills used in mass media.
  59. Ethics: (Program Outcome(s): 4.1)
  60. Students will examine and learn ethical codes and principles that pertain to interviewing relationships, conduct, and report writing. They will learn to use ethical codes to inform decision-making during interviews.
  61. Examine the American Psychological Association (APA) code of ethics and principles pertaining to interviewing relationships, conduct, and report writing.
  62. Apply ethical codes while making decisions during interviews.

Assignments:

  • Participation in all class sessions – 10 points for each class session. If you miss class, you will miss those points.
  • An informational interview with a professional in your chosen profession. 40 points.
  • A summary of a research article referring to some aspect or application of interviewing. 40 points.
  • A thirty minute interview and analysis of the interview. 40 points.
  • Three short reflection papers at 20 points each.
  • A midterm exam. 50 points.

Assignment Table

Topics / Readings / Assignments
1 /
  • Introduction to Interviewing
  • Definition of Interviewing
  • Types of Interviews
  • Barriers to interviewing
  • Basic interviewing skills – Attending, Active Listening
  • Levels of intimacy in interviews
  • Theoretical and Historical Context
/ Stewart and Cash Chapter 1, 2, / Discussion Questions:
  1. Consider an instance when you were interviewed — for example, a job interview, school admission, school project, or sports event. Jot down the things that stood out in this interview:
  • Things that made it difficult or uncomfortable
  • Things that made it welcoming and comfortable
  • Types of questions you were asked
On the basis of your memory:
  1. What were the characteristics of the interviewer?
  2. What made the interview memorable?
  3. Had you been the interviewer, what would you have done differently?
  1. What we “see” and “hear” from an interpersonal encounter is frequently filtered through our own beliefs and expectations. Consider the following situation and how this might impact an observer:
Nancy, a school teacher, observes that her colleague Alison behaves roughly with students who are weak in studies. When confronted by Nancy, Alison realizes that she had always seen her own mother, who was also a teacher, behaving in the same manner with academically weak students. As a result, she developed a similar stereotype against such students.
A part of each of our early experiences involves observing and integrating beliefs and values of those closest to us. As we mature, we gain broader experiences and information and expand our belief systems.
Some of our values and beliefs might change over time, which might include stereotypes about certain groups of individuals — for example, certain religions, ethnic backgrounds, sexuality, ageism, intellect, substance abuse, and body size.
  1. How and why would becoming aware of her assumptions improve Alison’s ability to work with academically weak students?
  2. Describe one or more beliefs or stereotypes that you can remember learning about when you were young. How might this affect your work in your chosen profession?
c. What have you done, or might do, to broaden your beliefs?
3. Paul, a police officer working for 20 years in a low socioeconomic status neighborhood, is transferred to another similar neighborhood. He has interviewed many cases of child abuse where one or both parents were involved in drug use and experienced domestic violence.
After a complaint that somebody heard yelling in a neighboring house, Paul and his partner arrive at the unkempt house and are greeted by a woman with bruises. Paul thinks, “just like all the others — getting beaten up and not caring for her children”.
On questioning the woman explains that she has been sick lately and one of her children accidentally pulled out her broadens home IV, which was very painful.
After leaving the home, Paul asks his partner, “You didn’t fall for that did you?” Paul’s partner states that he knows that the woman is a single parent in home hospice care for cancer.
  1. How might this new information influence Paul’s perspective of the situation?
  2. What might Paul hypothesize about the living conditions and bruises after he comes to know about the woman?
  3. How might Paul change his perspective in accordance with his long-term experiences with families in this district and the new information he gained?
Assignments:
Short (2-3 page reflection paper)
  1. Consider an instance when you were interviewed — for example, a job interview, school admission, school project, or sports event. Jot down the things that stood out in this interview:
  • Things that made it difficult or uncomfortable
  • Things that made it welcoming and comfortable
  • Types of questions you were asked
On the basis of your memory:
  1. What were the characteristics of the interviewer?
  2. What made the interview memorable?
  3. Had you been the interviewer, what would you have done differently?
Preparation for informational interview - Select a professional role that you have interest in or would like to learn more about. The role should utilize interviewing techniques. It may be a police officer who interviews individuals at a crime scene, a firefighter who investigates a fire, a journalist who captures someone’s experience after an event, a human resource specialist who interviews job applicants, a counselor at the community center, or any other professional role.
Next, complete the necessary background research and determine whom you will interview for your final project.
2 /
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Relationship
  • Collaborative
  • Self in Relationship
  • Environmental Impact on Relationship
  • Verbal and Nonverbal Interactions
  • Role of Diversity
  • Empathy
  • Demonstrating Understanding
  • Feedback
  • Formulating interview questions
  • Situation and Context
  • Time of Day, Week, and Year
  • Place
  • Surrounding or Setting
/ Stewart and Cash Chapter 3 / Discussion Questions:
  1. Imagine you are an eyewitness to an incident. You have been asked to be interviewed. Please respond to the following situations:
You are asked to come to the office of the interviewer, located far from where you live. The traffic is heavy, and you have to park a couple of blocks away. The office is in a dirty building, you don’t have directions provided. There is no one to greet you, and you aimlessly wander around until you reach a room with a number of cubicles and messy desks. You spot the individual you agreed to meet behind a desk. The person greets you warmly and invites you to sit down.
You are at home when the incident takes place. You have been so busy that you have been unable to even tidy up the house. You are just about to start dinner and have a paper due in the morning.
You have an interview at a professional office close to your home. There is parking in the building and a directory when you enter. You walk into a professionally decorated office with a staff member who greets you and calls you by name.
In each of the given scenarios:
  1. How might you feel before being interviewed?
  2. How might the surroundings affect the interview?
  3. Which scenario is best suited for an interview, and which is the worst suited? Why?
  1. Yoon-Hi, a young first-generation Asian woman, experiences a traumatic family event. She goes to see an older Caucasian man whom she addresses as Dr. Smith for treatment.
  2. How might the differences in backgrounds affect the first meeting?
  3. What type of setting might she expect to find when she arrives at the doctor’s office?
  4. How might the initial greeting — formal versus informal — affect the interview?
  5. Discuss your personal cultural customs regarding how you address various individuals in the following situations:
i)Formally versus informally
ii)Elders versus children
iii)Family versus strangers
Assignments:
  1. A short 2-3 page reflection paper summarizing a fifteen minute interview of your choice.
  2. Conduct a 15-minute interview with anyone and on a topic of your choice.
  3. Submit the questions that you used in your interview and provide a general summary explaining how effective you were in probing and obtaining information based on the level of response from the interviewee.
  4. Write down your thoughts regarding the following:
i)What type of interview did you conduct?
ii)How effective do you think you were in probing and obtaining information? Explain.
iii)Do you think your way of interviewing applies to any profession? Why?
3 /
  • Structuring the Interview
  • Planning
  • Opening Techniques
  • Body of the Interview
  • Closing the interview
  • Handling difficult situations
  • Questions and Their Uses
  • Open-Closed Questions
  • Primary-Secondary Questions
  • Neutral-Leading Questions
  • Problems with Question Formation
  • Bipolar or Yes-No Questions
  • Multiple Questioning at Once
  • Leading Questions
  • Loaded Questions
  • Irrelevant Questions
  • Ineffective Probing
/ Stewart and Cash Chapter 4 / Discussion Questions:
  1. Kelsie is a newspaper journalist planning to interview several individuals regarding their experiences as students at a local university
  2. How should Kelsie prepare for this task?
  3. Outline his game plan and possible questions for the interviews
  4. What might be some challenges?
  1. Elliott is employed at a local hospital as a nurse. He interviews a woman after a minor tour bus accident. She is a visitor from another country and speaks another language, so Elliott asks one of the other passengers to interpret some of the questions he needs to ask.
  2. What difficulties is Elliot likely to face?
  3. How might this influence rapport during the interview?
  4. How might it influence the information obtained during the interview?
  5. How might it influence the interviewer’s behavior?
  6. How might it influence the interviewer‘s interpretations, or how might the interviewer account for bilingualism when making observations and interpretations?
  7. What are the ethical considerations you might be concerned about?
Assignments:
  1. Study for Midterm exam
  1. Final Project
Plan your informational interviewing session and make an appointment with a professional of your choice.
The purpose of the interview is to learn about the operational aspect of the professional role and gain an understanding on the associated professional life.
4 / Mid term Exam / Find one research article from a juried journal on something to do with interviewing. Submit a paper following the guidelines attached to the syllabus.