Descriptive research Flashcards
What’s the purpose of Descriptive research?
- main goal: to DESCRIBE variables being studied. Instead of explaining why or how these variables relate to each other
- measures a variable or a set of variables as they exist naturally (NO manipulation, NO interfering )
What are the three forms descriptive research can take?
Observational, survey and case study
What are the three main methods of observational research?
Behavioural observation, archival research and content analysis
What is behavioural observation
- Observing the behaviour (of interest) as it occurs
Operationalizing (ALWAYS!!) the behavior: Turning abstract behaviors into concrete, observable actions. For example, “aggression” might be defined as “hitting, shouting, or throwing objects.”
Using a recording system: Deciding how to collect and quantify observations, such as using tally marks, timers, or coding systems.
In behavioural observation, how do you convert what you see into something measurable?
By assessing the frequency, duration, or interval of your behaviour (allows you to quantify what you’re seeing)
- Frequency: Counting how many times a behavior occurs within a specific time frame.
Example: “The child raised their hand 5 times during the 30-minute class.”
- Duration: Measuring how long a behavior lasts from start to finish.
Example: “The tantrum lasted 3 minutes and 45 seconds.”
- Interval: Observing and recording whether a behavior occurs during predetermined intervals (e.g., every 10 seconds).
** all three matter, cause you want the big picture)
In behavioural observation, what is is systematic recording?
Systematic recording refers to the organized and consistent process of documenting observations in a way that ensures accuracy, reliability, and objectivity. It involves following a pre-defined plan or method to record data, rather than doing so haphazardly. (what’s relevant for your behaviour of interest, same time? …)
What is the point behavioural observation?
You do NOT interfere!
What are 3 characteristics of descriptive research?
More flexible, exploratory and more qualitative (at first!!!)
Why are giving behavioural observation the label “qualitative at first”
Behavioral observation is often initially qualitative because:
Observers first identify and define behaviors in their natural context, which is an exploratory, qualitative step.
Many studies combine qualitative descriptions (e.g., observing how children play) with quantitative measurements (e.g., counting the number of times a specific behavior occurs).
Why is behavioural observed considered exploratory?
Let’s say you wanna take a look at people’s walking patterns as they are crossing the street. First, you have to systematically record individuals. Maybe there are a lot of parameters you wanna look at: speed, gaze, step frequency, step length……. (different things you might want to look out). *****You can’t explain anything, you’re just describing what’s happening, which is why it is considered exploratory; First step (stating point) to further research (is something influencing these walking patterns ???)
for example, saw that many of them were using their cellphones, so started to question whether there was a link between cellphone use and walking patterns…….. (key word: link!!!!!!)
can lead to a true exp: Does social presence (high low) influence the likelihood of using a cellphone while walking in public spaces?
What is considered the first step of research?
descriptive research.
What is the issue with behavioural observation?
Not always possible to observe everything every time (it’s just a lot of data!!!!!!! - you can’t track everything of everyone at the same time).
What do researchers do instead? (issue with behavioural observation)
They turn time, event and individual sampling? They choose the one they want (or all of them)
What is time sampling in behavioural observation?
Your think of a time frame. “Ok during the whole duration of the afternoon, or end of the day during trafic hours….”
What is event sampling in behavioural observation?
You look for a particular event (doesn’t just have to be bigggg like an accident or wtv), it could just be: I am gonna look at every tenth person approaching the intersection)
What is individual sampling in behavioural observation?
Focusing on an individual (really focus on one, then maybe shift to another…) Could be like ok im gonna look at this one for 5 minutes and then another one for another 5 minutes.
What could this (time, event and individual sampling) look like altogether? They typically are combined!!
I am gonna look at every 5th individual (event), for 5 minutes each (individual sampling) and all of it in the span of one afternoon. (otherwise it is all lot of data, which is not always practical or faisable, so you have to compromise)
For which method of descriptive research, is it better for the researcher to be less present?
For behavioural observation (remember awareness!!! change of behaviour!!! researcher bias…. and so on) You want the uninhibited natural data.
For behavioural observation, why would it be a good idea to consider having more than one observer?
To reduce observer bias (consistency!!!) With a camera as a recording tool, easier to rewind and stuff to make sure what you’re seeing is actually what you’re seeing, but if you’re writing the behaviour down…..(one time thing really)
What are the three types of behavioral observational research design?
Naturalistic observation, participant observation and contrived observation.
What is naturalistic observation?
You want to records behaviour as it happens NATURALLY (in their natural environment). You gotta be as concealed as possible.
Example: Jane Goodall - primatologist, best known for her very long observation of wild chimpanzees.
Exploratory: noticed human-like behaviours among chimpanzees - propel our knowledge forward. (yes doesn’t say x causes y, but it is what allows researcher to then see if x causes y )
Doesn’t have to be first step of something else: could disprove also some commonly held beliefs. For example, there was this people that only humans could create (had creativity). She disproved that by observing chimps making tools to extract termites.
Can naturalistic observation be used on humans?
Yes. A researcher might observe a person in the workplace to notice how frequently they engage in certain behaviors and to determine if there are patterns or trends
What is participant observation?
Participant observation is a research method where the researcher immerses themself in a particular social setting or group, observing the behaviors, interactions, and practices of the participants.
In participant observation, the researcher is called a participant-observer, meaning that they participate in the group’s activities while also observing the group’s behavior and interactions.
There is flexibility in the level of participation, ranging from non-participatory (the weakest) to complete participation (the strongest but most intensive.) The goal here is to gain a deep understanding of the group’s culture, beliefs, and practices from an “insider” perspective.
how is Rosenhan experiment related to participant observation?
“It is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals”. Labelling, stigmatizing, most likely counter therapeutic. Shedding light on the importance of standardized assessment….
The Rosenhan experiment is directly related to participant observation because the study’s method involved “pseudo-patients” immersing themselves in the psychiatric institutions as active participants to observe and document the experience from within.
