Problematic interviewee behaviors in qualitative research
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Enactive Phenomenological Approach to the Trier Social Stress Test: A Mixed Methods Point of View
Published on: January 7, 2019
Melinda Collins1, Mona Shattell, Sandra P Thomas
1University of Tennessee, USA.
Abstract:
The interview is a staple of many qualitative approaches. Although textbooks offer extensive guidance to researchers about conducting interviews, less guidance is available about problematic interviewee behaviors, such as flattery or statements indicative of social desirability response bias. In this study, a secondary analysis of 22 phenomenological interview transcripts, we sought to examine problematic interviewee behaviors. More than 300 pages of typed text were subjected to line-by-line scrutiny, yielding only six potential instances of the phenomenon. Each could be interpreted several ways. What appeared to be flattery could also be perceived as simple gratitude or appreciation. We concluded that problematic behavior was rare in this data set.
Related Concept Videos
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Confirmation Biases
Bias
In statistics, a sampling bias is created when a sample is collected from a population, and some members of the population are not as likely to be chosen as others (remember, each member...
Surveys
Naturalistic Observations
Humanistic Psychology
This approach...
