Structured Interview
Updated 2026-08-13
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A structured interview follows a pre-designed list of questions and a fixed procedure, ensuring that different interviews are comparable and information collection is systematic. The core claim is that free-form interviews are rich but hard to compare, while a standardized script sacrifices some flexibility to gain comparability and coverage. The key condition is that the same questions be asked in the same order of every respondent, so the differences in answers reflect the respondents rather than the interviewers. A small allowance for follow-up preserves the chance of the unexpected.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Script design: fix the core question list and its order before the first interview. - Execution consistency: run every interview through the same flow without improvising. - Structure-light follow-up: reserve a small slot for open probing after the core block.
Anchor fast decisions
Comparing two interviews requires that the stimulus be constant, because only then does a difference in answer trace to the respondent rather than to the question asked. A fixed script holds the stimulus steady and routes answers into a common shape, which makes aggregation and pattern detection possible. The cost is that an unscripted detour cannot chase a surprising thread, which is why a small follow-up slot is reserved rather than the whole interview left open.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more
Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structured_interviewverified
PRIVATE NOTES · Only visible to you
SAVED Q&A
ENTRY Q&A · Private saving available
Ask with a clear boundary
thinkingmodels answers from published entry context only.
Your question is sent to thinkingmodels. The answer uses public entry context only.
RELATED MODELS