Which method involves people answering questions about a specific topic of interest?

Self-reports are a method where individuals provide answers to questions about their feelings, thoughts, behaviors, or characteristics regarding a specific topic. This approach allows researchers to gather personal insights directly from participants, which can be especially valuable in understanding subjective experiences and perspectives.

This method can take various forms, such as surveys, interviews, or questionnaires, and is particularly useful in developmental psychology for assessing things like attitudes, perceptions, or developmental milestones. Because self-reports rely on the participant's self-assessment, they can give a detailed view of individual differences and personal experiences, making them a crucial tool in developmental research.

In contrast, other methods like systematic observation, naturalistic observation, and structured observations focus on observing actions or behaviors in different contexts but do not encompass the self-reported experiences that self-reports provide.