Which of the following is NOT true about the clinical interview in developmental psychology?

• A. It allows researchers to probe for more information based on participants' responses.
• B. It can provide rich, qualitative data about a child's thoughts and feelings.
• C. It is often used to explore individual differences in cognitive development.
• D. It always follows a strict set of standardized questions for every participant.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what a clinical interview in developmental psychology entails. It is a flexible, conversational technique used to gather detailed information about a child's thoughts, feelings, and cognitive processes.
2. Step 2: Recognize that clinical interviews allow researchers to probe deeper based on participants' responses, making the interaction adaptive rather than rigid.
3. Step 3: Note that clinical interviews often provide rich qualitative data, which helps in understanding individual differences in cognitive development.
4. Step 4: Identify that clinical interviews do not always follow a strict set of standardized questions; instead, they are typically semi-structured or unstructured to allow for exploration.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the statement 'It always follows a strict set of standardized questions for every participant' is NOT true about clinical interviews in developmental psychology.