Ch. 6- Observational Research Flashcards
Descriptive research
Used to study what is happening
Experimental Research
Why a phenomenon occurs
System Observational Research:
• Viewing and recording of a predetermined set of behaviours
Clearly observe and record behaviour in a methodical way
External Validity:
Extend to which study findings are applicable or generalize outside the data collection setting to other persons, in other places, at other times
Ecological Validity:
The degree to which the research situation recreates the psychological experiences that participants would have in real life
Participant Observation:
An observational data collection technique in which the observer participates with those being observed
Naturalistic Observation:
Technique of data collection in which researchers observes events as they occur in a natural setting
Non-Concealed Observation:
Participant observation in which observers inform participants that they are under observation
Reactivity:
When individuals alter their performance or behaviour due to the awareness that they are under observation
Concealed Observation:
Participant observation in which the observer never reveals to the participants that they are under observation
Active Deception:
Deliberately misleading participants in a study
Coding System:
Set of rules to help guide how the researcher classifies and records behaviours under observation
Duration Recording:
Recording the elapsed time during which a behaviour occurs
Frequency-Count Recording:
Recording each time a target behaviour occurs
Observation Schedule:
Paper and pencil/ electronic form where observers note the particular behaviour of the phenomenon they observe
Blind Observation:
When observers are trained to look for particular behaviours but are uninformed about study expectations or the overall purpose of the research investigation
Intra-Observer Reliability:
Extent to which an observer consistently codes a variable
Pilot Testing:
• Trial run used to test and refine the design, methods, and instruments for a study prior to carrying out the research
Inter-Observer Reliability:
• Level of agreement between 2 observers coding the same phenomenon
Also known as inter-rater reliability
Interval Recording:
Procedural method for recording observation that involves breaking down an observational period into equal, smaller time periods, and then indicating whether a target behaviour occurred during each time period
Continuous Recording:
Procedural method for recording observation that involves recording all the target behaviour of a target individual during a specified observational period
Contrived Observation:
• Artificially introducing a variable of interest and observing what happens
Descriptive Statistics:
Statistics that describe or summarize quantitative data in a meaningful way
Categorical Variable:
Way to classify data into distinct categories
Frequency Distribution:
Summary of how often the individual values for a variable occur
Continuous Variable:
Variable with an infinite number of different values between 2 given points
Central Tendency:
Value that best represents all of the other values for a particular variable
Cohen’s kappa Coefficient:
Statistical measure of inter-observer agreement between 2 observers for categorical items
