7b) observation key terms

Question 1

What is an observation?

Answer 1

Carful, close examination of an object or person

Question 2

How can observations be used?

Answer 2

Used in psychological research in one of two ways - method or technique

Question 3

What is participant reactivity?

Answer 3

(Observer effect)
Type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behaviour in response to their awareness of being observed

Question 4

What is inter-rather reliability?

Answer 4

Two or more people observe data and then compare their findings at the end
-> correlation should be as close to one (0.8 minimum) to have good reliability

Question 5

What are naturalistic observations?

Answer 5

-observation of behaviour in a natural environment
-researcher makes no attempt to influence the behaviour of those being observed
-often done where it would be unethical to carry out a lab experiment

Question 6

What are the pros of a naturalistic observation?

Answer 6

-high ecological validity
-participants are less likely to be affected by demand characteristics

Question 7

What are the cons of naturalistic observations?

Answer 7

-little control over EV’s
-hard to establish causality
-replication is often not possible
-cannot check the reliability of the findings

Question 8

What are controlled observations?

Answer 8

Refers to observation taking place in a controlled setting
-> usually behind a one-way mirror so they cannot be seen

Question 9

What are the pros of controlled observations?

Answer 9

-less risk of EV’s affecting the behaviour
-more controlled environment

Question 10

What are the cons of controlled observations?

Answer 10

-very artificial setting
-results may lack ecological validity

Question 11

What are structured observations?

Answer 11

-observation where the researcher creates a behavioural checklist before the observation in order to code the behaviour
-behaviour can be sampled using time or event sampling

Question 12

What is a behavioural checklist?

Answer 12

Used to record the frequency of the behaviours the observer has to look out for

Question 13

What are the criteria for a behavioural checklist?

Answer 13

-has to be observable
-have no need for inference to be made
-cover all components
-be mutually exclusive
-not overlap (not having to mark two categories at the same time)

Question 14

What is a pilot study?

Answer 14

A small scale study carried out before the actual research
-> allows the researchers to practice using the behaviour checklist / observation schedule

Question 15

What is event sampling?

Answer 15

Counting the number of times a behaviour is performed

Question 16

What are the pros of event sampling?

Answer 16

-useful when the target behaviour happens infrequently

Question 17

What are the cons of event sampling?

Answer 17

-if the behaviour happens too often or there is too much going on the researcher may not be able to record it all

Question 18

What is time sampling?

Answer 18

Recording behaviour at timed intervals

Question 19

What are the pros of time sampling?

Answer 19

Observer has enough time to record what they’ve seen

Question 20

What are the cons of time sampling?

Answer 20

Some behaviours will be missed out because of the intervals
-> may not be representative

Question 21

What are the pros of structured observations?

Answer 21

Behavioural checklist allows objective, quantifiable data to be collected which can be statistically analysed
-> allows for more than one observer = increase in reliability

Question 22

What are the cons of structured observations?

Answer 22

Pre-existing behavioural categories can be restrictive and does not always explain WHY the behaviour is happening

Question 23

What are unstructured observations?

Answer 23

-observer notes down all the behaviours they can see in a qualitative form over a period of time
-no behavioural checklist is used

Question 24

What are the pros of unstructured observations?

Answer 24

-can generate in-depth, rich qualitative data that can help explain reasoning for behaviours
-researchers are not limited by prior theoretical expectations

Question 25

What are overt observations?

Answer 25

Participants are aware that their behaviour is being studied, the observer is obvious

Question 26

What are the pros of overt observations?

Answer 26

It will better fulfill ethical guidelines (compared to covert)

Question 27

What are the cons of overt observations?

Answer 27

Participants know they are being observed and therefore may change their behaviour
(Participant reactivity)

Question 28

What are covert observations?

Answer 28

Participants are unaware that they are being studied, the observer is hidden

Question 29

What are the pros of covert observations?

Answer 29

Participants don’t know they’re being observed and therefore there behaviour is more likely to be natural
-> higher validity

Question 30

What are the cons of covert observations?

Answer 30

Can break many ethical guidelines as deception is used it may cause the participants some distress

Question 31

What are participant observations?

Answer 31

When the observer becomes involved in the participant group and may not be known to other participants

Question 32

What are the pros of participant observations?

Answer 32

Being part of the group can allow the researcher to get a deep understanding of the behaviours of the group
-> increasing validity

Question 33

What are the cons of participant observations?

Answer 33

-the presence of the researcher might influence the behaviour of the group
-the researcher may lose objectivity as they are part of the group

Question 34

What are non-participant observations?

Answer 34

The observer is separate from the participant group that are being observed

Question 35

What are the pros of non-participant observations?

Answer 35

Researchers observations are likely to be more objective as they are not influenced by the group

Question 36

What are the cons of non-participant observations?

Answer 36

It is harder to produce qualitative data to understand the reasons for the behaviour