Lecture 7 - Observational methods

Question 1

When previous participants recruit additional participants through their network, it is called:

a. Cluster sampling
b. Convenience sampling
c. Purposive sampling
d. Snowball sampling

Answer 1

d

Question 2

What is introspection?

Answer 2

Introspection is the examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings.

In psychology, the process of introspection relies on the observation of one’s mental state.

Question 3

What is a limitation of introspection?

Answer 3

• Researchers using the introspective method had rigorous training to eliminate bias in self-observations
• But introspection is fundamentally subjective: I cannot verify your introspections and you cannot verify mine
• Introspection therefore violates the principle of objectivity – the idea that science produces public knowledge
• The shift away from the introspective method led to the development of a specific criterion for measuring behaviour – that it can be verified by two or more observers

Question 4

Define naturalistic observation.

Answer 4

Naturalistic observations -

Researchers study the behaviours of humans and other species in their normal environments.

Question 5

Define structured observation.

Answer 5

Structured observations -

Allow researchers to
evaluate responses to specific situations.

Question 6

List 3 shared features of naturalistic & structured observations.

Answer 6

• Behaviour does not create a record
• Observers
• Interpretation

Question 7

Describe Lee & Aronson (1974) study.

Answer 7

Lee & Aronson (1974) investigated the hypothesis that visual proprioception influences body control using a repeated measures experimental design.

Predicted that moving the
room forward would produce optic flow patterns similar to what would normally accompany backward body sway, leading infants to adjust to counteract this apparent backward sway, which would result in infants swaying forward.
(see relevant powerpoint, slide 14 for diagram)

“The behavioral response to a swing of the room was categorized according to the scheme shown in Table 1. Unless there was a clear change in posture during the 2.5 sec that the room was moving, a “zero” response was recorded” (Lee & Aronson, 1974, p. 531).

REFERENCES
Goodwin, C. J. & Goodwin, K. A. (2014). Research in Psychology: Methods and Design.

Question 8

Describe the Crowley, Callanan, Tenenbaum & Allen (2001) study.

Observation in Correlational Research.

Answer 8

Crowley, Callanan, Tenenbaum & Allen (2001) observed parent- child conversations in a science museum. Children in consenting families (N=298) were given a sticker which also indicated age.

Conversations were coded for explanations, directions, and evidence.
Explanation included:
• causal connections within the exhibit interface (e.g., “When you turn that
fast, it makes more electricity” at an exhibit including a hand-cranked
generator),
• relations between observed phenomena and more general principles (e.g.,
“You see all those colors because the bubble reflects different kinds of light” at an exhibit where visitors can pull a sheet of bubbles up in front of a black background), and
• analogies to related phenomena (e.g., “This is just like that one time when our plants died because we forgot to water them” during a time-lapse video of withering bean sprouts).
Reliability was assessed by having 20% of the interactions coded by more than one rater.

(see relevant powerpoint, slide 18 for diagram of results)

REFERENCE
Goodwin, C. J. & Goodwin, K. A. (2014). Research in Psychology: Methods and Design.

Question 9

When a correlation is used to evaluate agreement between two researchers, it is called:

a. Inter-rater reliability
b. Split-half reliability
c. Convergent validity
d. Discriminant validity

Answer 9

a

Question 10

READ RELEVANT CHAPTERS (1 & 12)

Answer 10

(make notes if you want or just teach yourself using whiteboard)