Closed-ended question (psychology)

A closed-ended question is a question that presents an individual with only a limited set of options, usually a yes or no response.

Closed-ended questions are frowned upon as they can lead to confirmation bias in the studier, misleading conclusions, self-confirmation bias or give away what result you are after potentially resulting in Asch conformity, leading or priming in the individual.

Usage
An example of a closed-ended question is: "Do you feel happy or sad?", or "Is it raining?". Closed-ended questions are useful in helping to close down a conversation by giving an individual a limited set of responses and thus less and less to talk about.

When analysing and investigating, closed-ended questions do have a use as they allow a direct question, but they are at risk of a false confirmation attack and should be avoided, if possible, in an investigative sense unless one is attempting to form a bi-logic trap.

As an individual asking the question:
Make use of open-ended questions, stacked lists and try to rephrase closed-ended questions into open-ended ones, so instead of "Do you feel happy or sad?", you'd ask "How do you feel?", instead of "Is it raining?", ask "How is the weather?".

Open-ended questions are useful in helping to open up conversations, as well as additional information.

As an individual being asked the question:
Try to inform the individual that it is a closed-ended question and thus suspect to either-or fallacy, and if you suspect it's part of a bi-logic trap, create a third option. Individuals will often accuse of being evasive if their (often unfair) ridgid definitions are not followed, however this constitutes as a red herring type of ad hominem.