Validity is a big part of social studies as if information given is no ecologically valid then the study may be compromised, because the information given comes straight from the source in interviews there is little chance of the information being invalid.
An interview can take a long or short period of time to do as the information can be gathered in note form or on a notepad the questions can be run through as quickly or slowly as is needed, the resources needed are relatively easy to gather a notepad and pen and a tape recorder. Interviews can be referred back to as the information is usually recorded on a tape player so if there is something which was not quite understood it can be re heard and reevaluated,
Interviews can be carried out in a natural or neutral setting meaning that if the topic is particularly sensitive then the subject will not feel threatened by the interviewer. They allow people to speak for themselves and to give a real account of what really happened so that they are not just answering yes or no to a question.
Interviews allow the researcher to see how a persons life changes because of an event as they can do an interview with them before it happens while it’s happening and after it has happened. This means that the interviewer can see for themselves how a event effect how a persons behavior changes.
In a questionnaire the questions may sometimes not be understood by the participant whereas with an interview the researcher can explain the question to the subject so that the answers are fully representative.
However, the information given may not be right as if it is a very sensitive then a subject may not give a valid account of the experience as it may be painful or embarrassing for them to talk about, also it would be difficult to check if the information is correct the trust has to be put in the person who is given the information. A person’s emotion may get in the way of what they are trying to tell the researcher and therefore the information given may not be truthful.
So, are interviews the most effective way of research of understanding society? It’s quick easy and gathers more depth and understanding of the topic than some other ways of doing research but the information given may not be ecologically valid, however in my opinion interviews are a very good way of gathering information for understanding society.
