PSYCHOLOGY 206

WINTER 2005

Suggested Topics for Interviews

Prenatal development and birth (expectant parents) How many weeks along is your pregnancy? Do you have other children? What do they know about pregnancy and birth? Was the pregnancy planned? If so, what factors were involved in your decision to have this child? Are you aware of any possible genetic problems, and what are you doing about them? What steps for prenatal health are you taking (nutrition; exercise; avoiding drugs, alcohol)? What are your plans for the birth? Will the husband be involved in the birth? In child care?

Family planning options (childless couples) Did you choose not to have children, or are you childless for biological reasons? How difficult was your choice/recognition of a childless relationship? What are the advantages of being childless? the disadvantages? How has your child-free status affected your marriage? Is there a possibility that you will change your mind, or adopt, in-the future?

Maternal employment (mothers employed outside the home) What are your reasons for working? Do you have any doubts about your decision to work? How old are your children? Are you having any problems with your children that might not exist if you were not working? What alternative child care have you used? What happens when your child gets sick? How much responsibility does your husband take for home and child care? How understanding is your employer? your family? How do you evaluate your children's development?

Schools and learning (high school students) What are your favorite courses in school? your best teachers? Why do you think they are better than other courses or teachers? Does your school encourage excellence in academic subjects? do your peers? How would you change your school if you could?

Independence (high school or college students) In what ways do you feel you have gained independence from your parents? What responsibilities go along with being independent? In what ways do your peers have more influence on your ideas, and in what ways do your parents have more influence? Do you feel that there is a generation gap between your parents and yourself? Have you thought of ways to reduce any differences while still developing your independence?

Moral reasoning (high school or college students) What are the moral issues in your life today? How are you resolving them? How would you approach a moral dilemma, such as finding out that a good friend cheated on an important exam? Do you have a trusted person with whom you discuss moral issues? Who is it? What are the important moral issues facing our country?

Sexuality (teenagers and young adults) When did puberty occur for you? Are you sexually active now? How long have you been active? If you are not sexually active, are you being pressured by your peers? How do you respond to that pressure? What is your current level of activity-frequency, number of partners, etc.? What birth control method do you use? What would you do if you/your partner became pregnant? What is the most important aspect of sex for you (love, pleasure, popularity)?

Drug use and health (teenagers and young adults) Do you smoke? drink alcohol? use other drugs? Why or why not? If so, how much? Would you like to quit? Why or why not? Do you think much about the health hazards? What drug habits do people you know engage in? What are the reasons? the results? What healthy activities do you engage in on a regular basis?

Decision making (young adults) What major decisions have you had to make in the past few years? How did you select your career goals? What resources did you consult in making your decisions? In retrospect, did you make the right decisions? What would you change? What decisions are you facing now? Has your approach to decision making changed in the past few years?

Life satisfaction (adults ages 45-65) How satisfied are you with your life today? Is it better or worse than you had expected when you were younger? What was (is) the happiest period of your life? the unhappiest? Why? Are you looking forward to the next decades? Why? Describe some of your plans for the future.

Cognitive development in adulthood (adults ages 45-65) What sorts of intellectual activities do you engage in (reading, games, taking courses, educational television, politics, debates and discussions)? What do you enjoy about these activities? Are you better or worse at them than you were as a young adult? in what ways? Would you take college courses now? Why? Would you choose different courses than you would have in your earlier school years? Explain.

Gender roles and society (adults ages 45-65) When you were young, how were males and females supposed to act? Did men do housework or women have careers? How have changes in the roles of men and women affected your own life? Do you think the changes are beneficial for men and women? for you?

Menopause (women ages 50-65) When did you begin (and complete) menopause? Did you experience symptoms such as hot flashes and discomfort? Do you think menopause caused a serious disruption of your life or your emotional stability? Are your attitudes about menopause different from those you held when you were younger? What do you think about the fact that you can no longer have children? Are you satisfied with your health in general?

Retirement (retired adults) What kind of job did you hold before you retired? When did you retire? Did you look forward to retiring? Did you plan for it financially and emotionally? Describe your adjustment to retirement. What factors made the adjustment easier or more difficult? How do you feel now about being retired?

Marital satisfaction (couples married more than fifty years) How have you kept your marriage interesting over the years? Has your relationship changed? When were your happiest years? your unhappiest years? Did you ever consider divorce? What kept you from divorcing? What do you think is the key to a successful marriage?

Bereavement (widows or widowers) How long have you been a widow(er)? What was your marriage like? What adjustments were the most difficult after your spouse's death? How did the advice or actions of friends and relatives help or hurt? How have you resolved your loss now? Would you consider remarriage? What would you look for in a new partner?