structured interview
a method for gathering information, used particularly in surveys and personnel selection, in which questions, their wordings, and their order of administration are determined in advance. The choice of answers tends to be fixed and determined in advance as well. With structured interviews, answers can be aggregated and comparisons can be made across different samples or interview periods; interviewees can be assessed consistently (e.g., using a common rating scale); and order effects are minimized. Also called standardized interview. Compare unstructured interview. See also patterned interview.