Observation Flashcards
What is controlled observation?
Structuring the behavior of the participant as well as the observer
Aspects of the environment are controlled, in an attempt to give participants the same experience
What is naturalistic observation?
Behavior being observed is not interfered with but the observer may be quite structured in how observations are recorded
Takes place in the real world
what is Participant observation
observations made by someone who is also participants in the activity being observed
This mean their objectivity may be affected
What is non participant observation
Researchers do not Become actively involved in the behavior being studied
The observer simply watches and listens
What is non participant observation
Researchers do not Become actively involved in the behavior being studied
The observer simply watches and listens
What is overt observation?
Participants are aware they are being observed
What is overt observation?
Participants are aware they are being observed
What is covert observation
Participants are not aware that they are being observed
Strengths and weaknesses of naturalistic observations
Strengths-
-high external validity •findings can be generalised
-High realism• participants likely to show naturalistic behaviour
Weaknesses-
-many uncontrolled confounding/ extraneous variables•lower internal validity
-harder to repeat possibly
Strengths and weaknesses of overt and covert observations
Strengths- Fewer demand characteristics for covert
-increased internal validity
Weaknesses-ethical issues, consent legality
What is participant and non participant observation strengths and weaknesses
Strengths-Particpant observation the reasearcher can gain in reased insights which can increase external validity
-Non participant observation maintain objectivity
Weaknesses-researcher may lose objectivity in a participant observation
What is unstructured observation?
Every instance of behavior is recorded in as much detail as possible
Useful for behaviours that dont occur often
What is structured observation?
The researcher uses various ‘systems’ to organise observations such as sampling techniques or behavioural categories
What are behavioural categories?
When a target behavior is broken up into components that are observable and measurable (operationalised)
What is event sampling
One of the sampling techniques
A target behaviour or event is first established then the researcher records the event every time it occurs
