The Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI) is a validated, structured interview technique for young children. Two puppet characters take turns making dichotomous, first-person statements (e.g., “I like school” vs. “I don’t like school”), and the child selects which puppet is more like them. This method reduces social desirability pressure, improves engagement, and elicits developmentally-appropriate self-report data from early childhood.
Why researchers use BPI
- Engagement-first: the puppet format meets kids at their level with play and storytelling.
- Reduced cognitive load: two clear options limit cognitive load and working-memory demands.
- Reliable measurement: supports better reliability for ages 4–8 than typical Likert scales.
Modern adaptations
Digital implementations like CHAT-E swap physical puppets for animated puppets while preserving the core forced-choice format. Platforms such as Puppet Interview bring BPI-style surveys to tablets with classroom-friendly workflows.
Try it: Build a short BPI-style survey and deploy it in minutes. Log in to the app to get started.
Related
CHAT-E · Dichotomous Item · Structured Interview · Reliability · Validity
Related Articles
Peer-Reviewed Research
A critical gap in early childhood policies: Children's meaning making
Sabol et al., Translational Issues in Psychological Science (2021)
Young children's self-reported emotional, behavioral, and peer problems: The Berkeley Puppet Interview
Ringoot et al., Psychological Assessment (2013)
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