Chapter 6 Flashcards
Observing an individual or group in their natural habitat
Naturalistic Observations
Stages setting of the “real world” used for Natural Observations
Contrived Observations
3 Threats to Construct Validity with using Observational Methods
observer bias, observer effects, reactivity
influences an observer’s interpretation of participants’ behavior
Observer Bias
When an observer inadvertently influences a participant’s behavior
Observer Effects
When participants behavior changes because they know another person is watching them
Reactivity
4 Ways to Prevent Observer Bias
train observers well
give clear instructions
use many observers
use a masked design
5 Ways to Prevent Reactivity
hide
habituation
group infiltration
participant observation
measure behavior’s results
Behavior Recording Tools
field notes
checklists
temporal measures
rating scales
Unstructured and open-ended, written by an observer
field notes
structures, lets an observer know exactly what they are looking for in behavior
checklists
measure of when and how long behaviors occur
temporal measures
measure of intensity and quality of behaviors
rating scales
Pros and Cons of Behavioral Methods
pro: can measure actual behavior
cons: bias and reactivity, time consuming can only measure overt behavior
What are the question formats for self-report
open-ended questions, forced choice, likert scales, semantic differential
