1 Flashcards
What is naturalistic observation
Takes place in a natural setting where there is no manipulation from researchers
What is controlled observation
Takes place under controlled conditions where extraneous variables are controlled to avoid interference
What is overt observation
The observation is open so participants are aware they are being observed
What is covert observation
A researcher observes people without their knowledge. Participants may be informed after the observation
What is participant observation
The person observing also takes part in the activity being observed
What is non participant observation
The person observing does not part in the activity being observed
What is structured observation
The researcher identifies target behaviour that will be the main focus of the investigation- behavioural catergories
What is unstructured observation
The researcher may record all types of behaviour that they see
Evaluation of naturalistic observation
Higher levels of ecological validity
Issues with reliability
Evaluation of controlled observation
Can be replicated to check for reliability
Lacks external validity
Evaluation of overt observation
More ethical
Risk of investigator effects
Evaluation of covert observation
Lower risk of investigator effects
Ethical issues with deception
Evaluation of participant observation
More in depth data
Risk of investigator effects Ethical issues
Evaluation of non participant observation
Less risk of investigator effects
Researcher may miss behaviours due to lack of proximity
Evaluation of structured observation
Can compare behaviours easier
Issues with internal validity
Evaluation of unstructured observation
Richer data can be obtained
Risk of observe bias due to lack of behavioural catergories
What are behavioural catergories
Target behaviours that the researcher wants to investigate will be identified and broken down into a risk of behavioural catergories
What is event sampling
Counting the number of times a participant behaviour occurs in an individual or group
What is time sampling
Recording behaviours within a pre established time frame
Advantages of a questionnaire
-can be distributed to lots of people
-easily replicable
-can be easier to statistically analyse
Disadvantages of a questionnaire
-social desirability bias
-anonymity can cause difficulty knowing if participants have told the truth
What are open questions
Respondent provides own answers expressed in words
What are closed questions
Respondent has limited choices
What are the three types of closed questions
Likely scale, rating scale, fixed choice
tips to write good questions
- avoid jargon
-avoid leading questions
-use appropriate language
-use of filler questions
Advantages of interviews
Better awareness of truthfulness of interviewee
Richer data
Disadvantages of interviews
-risk of interviewer bias
-more time consuming
What is social desirability bias
Giving socially favourable answers due to the presence of the interviewer
What is the interviewer effect
The effect that the interviewers presence has on answers causing bias
What are the three types of interviews
Structured
Unstructured
Semi structured
What are case studies
A detailed in depth analysis of an individual or small group- usually gathering large around of qualitative data from many sources
Strengths and weaknesses of case studies
-rich detailed insight into the behaviour
-often can be used to challenge large research
-can be prone to researcher bias
-not reliable and has very little population validity
What is a content analysis
Producing quantitive data from qualitative data to give us a clearer and more concise insight into the behaviour
What are the steps involved in content analysis
- State the aims and hypotheses for the study
- Decide on sample and time period if necessary
- Read/ view qualitative data and identify any emerging/ recurring themes
- Decide on the unity of analysis and develop a coding system
- Analyse the findings and interpret them quantitatively in terms of the hypothesis
