Question

When is it preferable to use direct questioning and when is it preferable to use indirect questioning? Discuss.

Answer 1

Direct questioning

Direct questions ask for information and end with a question mark. These end with a question mark. For

instance,

• Did the professor ask you to see me?
• When do you plan on completing the plan?
• What are the major problem areas?

It allows little possibility of misinterpretation, and, is to the point. These may be used when asking for information, in a manager to team member interaction, or, interaction amongst team members.

Indirect questioning

The other person is asked but there is no direct question. There are no question marks ending the sentence. This is to collect information without asking a tediously long list of questions.

• Many editors will find this layout inappropriate for such a report
• You seem to be under stress owing to the project

Indirect questions are disguised. These skirt the basic questions, sparingly. This is preferable in a professional set up when one is only keen on mentioning or getting the information if the other party wishes to discuss it, or, to get the other person's point of view.

Indirect questioning removes social desirability bias. It removes the error in self-report measures that result from the desire to project a favourable image to the researcher. These provoke less fear or defensiveness. In research, these may bring in attitude irrelevant variance as the third party may try to make predictions about a party specified in an indirect question.

Indirect questions are invalid even though unbiased. Indirect questioning is seen as a projective technique asking respondents or subjects to answer structured questions from the perspective of another person or group. Direct questions are assumed to contain effects of social desirability bias' systematic effects.