Follow-up questions in psychological interviewing serve to deepen understanding and gather more specific information from the interviewee.
Follow-up questions are a critical tool in the psychological interview process, enabling clinicians and researchers to move beyond initial responses and explore the depth and complexity of an individual's experiences, thoughts, and feelings.
Their primary roles include:
- Exploring Unanticipated Information: They provide the interviewer with the flexibility to delve into topics or responses that were not part of the pre-planned questions but arise naturally during the conversation. This allows for the discovery of relevant information that might otherwise be missed.
- Obtaining Nuanced Understanding: When a person's initial answer is vague, simplistic, or very fixed (dogmatic), follow-up questions encourage them to elaborate, provide specific examples, or explain their perspective in more detail. This is essential for gaining a subtle and accurate understanding of their internal world and experiences.
As highlighted, follow-up questions also enable you to explore unanticipated responses and obtain nuanced answers when the initial response is too general, simplistic, or dogmatic. Some follow-up questions are worked out and asked during the same interview in which the topic of interest is mentioned.
Key Benefits of Using Follow-Ups
Utilizing effective follow-up questions offers several significant benefits:
- Clarification: They help clarify ambiguous or confusing statements made by the interviewee.
- Depth: They encourage the interviewee to provide more detail and context, enriching the data gathered.
- Validation: Asking follow-up questions can show the interviewee that their responses are being listened to and valued, helping build rapport.
- Completeness: They ensure that the interviewer obtains comprehensive information on a particular topic or issue.
Examples in Practice
Consider these scenarios where follow-up questions are crucial:
- Initial Response: "I feel stressed sometimes."
- Follow-Up: "Could you tell me more about what situations typically make you feel stressed?" or "When you say 'sometimes,' how often would that be?"
- Initial Response: "My relationship with my family is fine." (Said with flat affect)
- Follow-Up: "What does 'fine' mean to you in this context?" or "Could you describe a typical interaction you have with your family?"
- Unanticipated Response: Interviewee mentions a specific traumatic event briefly.
- Follow-Up: "You mentioned [event]. Would you be willing to tell me a little more about that?" (Assuming clinical appropriateness and ethical considerations are met).
Effective psychological interviewing relies heavily on the skillful use of follow-up questions to navigate the interview landscape, ensuring that the conversation is productive, informative, and tailored to the individual's unique narrative.
