Module 7, Observation Flashcards
Ecological Validity: f
form of external validity; ability to generalize experimental findings to real-world situations
Naturalistic Observation:
features very direct data collection using visual observation, field notes, and recording in natural settings
Participant Observation:
refers to the immersion of the researcher into the phenomenon under study
Structured/ Controlled Observations:
can be obtrusive (where presence of researcher is obvious to participants) or unobtrusive, where the participants are not aware their behavior is being watched
Field Experiment:
being carried out in a natural settings instead of lab
Participant Observation
Participant observations depend on interactions of the observer with others in the situation
Limitations: difficult to achieve objectivity, may take years to fully achieve results, how to know whether presence of the researcher disrupts the phenomena, ethical issues in recording data
Controlled Observation
Observation with intervention, in which a situation constructed by the researcher is designed to elicit a target behavior
Strong external validity, easy for quantitative methods, efficient
Criticisms: subjective to the researcher, reduced replicability of the results
Reactivity:
refers to behaving differently when you know you’re being watched
Field Experiments
Experiment takes place in natural setting as opposed to the lab
Benefits: high external/ecological validity, removes artificiality of the lab, still able to manipulate variables
Criticisms: more variability than in a lab
Demand Characteristic
behaviors that the researchers expect to see
Systematic Sampling:
observe every tenth person to pass viewing location
Random Sampling:
pick random individuals in a setting to observe; each relevant person has an equal chance of being selected
Systematic/random time sampling
Systematic Time Sampling: records participants, for example, on the first day of every month
Random Time Sampling: no specific structure follows how the researcher chooses their time frame
Event sampling
only observe children when they are having tantrums
Features of situations CCC
Cues: represent stimuli present in the situation
Characteristics: refer to the human perception of the situational cues
Classes: types of situations that share similar cues and characteristics
Qualitative Recordings
Provide records of observations without an emphasis of counting things like the frequency of a behavior
May not know what variables are being recorded until some observation is done
Comprehensive Narrative:
recording as much data as possible
Goals of qualitative data ANALYSIS:
identify and interpret patterns/themes in observations, and determine whether the data provides answers to the research questions
Steps of qualitative data analysis ADII
Analysis can begin as soon as any data are collected, even if it is incomplete
After familiarity is established with data, you can begin data reduction: leaving out what is unneeded
Next, identify important themes; themes that emerge organically as data are collected and determine the importance of the themes present
Finally, interpret the findings
Quantitative Recordings
What variables are being recorded
Use nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio levels of measurement
What kind of validity does natural observation have?
Natural Observation: low internal validity but high ecological validity
What kind of validity does field experiment have?
Field Experiment: high internal validity, but lower ecological validity
What kind of validity does structured observation have
Structured Observation: has higher internal validity than participant observation, but lower ecological validity
What kind of validity does participant observation have?
Participant Observation: has lower internal validity than structured observations, but higher ecological validity
ECOLOGICAL AND EXTERNAL VALIDITY ARE THE SAME
Classical Test Theory:
all observations are made up of a combination of the true score plus measurement error
True Score:
hypothetical, we can never know this
Define distinctiveness, equal intervals, order of magnitude, and absolute zero.
D: (classifies and labels variables)
E:(variable is measured in equal intervals)
O: ranks characteristics in order)
Z: absence of trait
Nominal: NOIR
CATEGORICAL (ANY NUMBER ASSIGNED TO THESE DON’T MEAN ANYTHING) Nominal: has distinctiveness (classifies and labels variables)
Ordinal:
CATEGORICAL (ANY NUMBER ASSIGNED TO THESE DON’T MEAN ANYTHING)Ordinal: has distinctiveness and magnitude (ranks characteristics in order) (LETTER GRADE ON EXAM)
INTERVAl
QUANTITATIVE, NUMBERS ARE COUNTING SOMETHING Interval: has distinctiveness, magnitude, equal intervals (variable is measured in equal intervals)
