When conducting in-depth interviews (IDIs), it’s not uncommon to encounter participants who provide over-rationalized or Contradictory Responses. As the interviewer, we want to recognize and remedy these situations quickly to reduce the risk of collecting low-quality data. And it’s not easy!

In this 12-minute Conversations episode, lead instructor Kathryn Korostoff shares some tips and tricks for turning these difficult situations into insights gold. And if you don’t have the time to watch, here are some of the tips from the video below.

If you encounter Contradictory or over-rationalized responses, don’t panic! There are known tactics we can use to get past these hindrances.

• Why do participants sometimes give over-rationalized or contradictory responses? There are many possible reasons, but a few we commonly see in market research:
  • Acquiescence bias
  • Desire to appear as an “expert”
  • Recall issues
  • Social desirability bias
  • Their own uncertainty or mixed feelings
• How can the research interviewer handle these difficulties in real-time? A couple of tips from the video:
  • Don’t ignore it. With few exceptions, we can usually acknowledge it in order to get better insights. So when you encounter contradictory responses, don’t panic but don’t ignore it either.
  • Take an action to increase the participant’s comfort level. Seek ways to reinforce that they are in a non-judgmental environment.
  • Ask the participant for help:
    • “I think I may have misunderstood something, can you help me? Earlier you mentioned Y, but I think you also mentioned Y?”
    • “I want to make sure I am following you. Did I understand you correctly when you described…?”
    • “Can I repeat back to you? I want to make sure I have this right.”

Managing over-rationalized or contradictory responses during research interviews may seem daunting, but it is entirely feasible! By fostering an environment that is supportive and free of judgement, and using thoughtful probes and clarifying questions, research interviewers can transform these tricky situations into valuable insights. Happy interviewing!

Looking for a comprehensive guide on conducting research interviews? Check out our Conducting Research Interviews: Project Design & Management course!

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