Observation Flashcards
What is a research aim?
What the researcher is investigating
E.g to investigate the effects of chocolate on happiness
What are the research questions?
A question regarding what is being studied
E.g do brunettes hold open doors more often than blondes?
What is event sampling?
Recording every time an event occurs within the observational period
What is time sampling?
Recording what is observable after a given time interval (e.g every 20 seconds) during the observational period
What are the strengths of event sampling?
More accurate as all behaviours in the time frame are recorded
Infrequent behaviours are likely to be recorded (unlike in time sampling)
What are the weaknesses of event sampling?
Requires a lot of focus for an extended period of time
Might miss things due to cognitive overload or lack of focus over time
What are the strengths of time sampling?
You can see a change in behaviour over the time period
Increases focus during observation
Allows time for recording data
What are weakness of time sampling?
You may miss infrequent behaviours
The data may not be representative of the entire time period
What are the types of Time sampling?
One-zero
Instantaneous time
Predominant activity
What is one zero time sampling?
Records the behaviours that occur in the time frame as a 1 and the behaviours that do not as a 0. It doesn’t matter how many times the behaviour occurs.
What is instantaneous time sampling?
Records if a behaviour occurs in a specific instant (e.g looking if someone is playing on the swings every 20th second).
What is predominant activity time sampling?
The observer watches for the entire time interval and makes a note of the most common activity that happened.
How is event sampling presented?
Findings will be presented in a pie chart
How is time sampling presented?
Findings will be presented in a line graph
What to remember when it comes to observations?
Who you are observing
What you are looking at
When your observation is
The location of you observation
How you will be observing
What is a structured observation?
Has set behaviours that the observer is looking for.
Produces quantitative data.
What is an unstructured observation?
Has no pre-planned ideas of what to look for.
Produces qualitative data.
What is a coding frame?
Tables that are used to record data within structured observations.
The table has set behavioural categories the observer(s) are looking for.
You must ensure the behavioural categories are:
Behaviours that are observable not emotional states
Clearly defined so it is clear when to tally and not to tally
What level of data is a coding frame?
Nominal as it is a frequency of number of behaviours in each category
What are the strengths of structured observations?
Creates objective data which is objective and easy to analyse
Easy to conduct/less effort for the observers to record
What are the weaknesses of structured observations?
The coding frame may not include all displayed behaviours
Lacks detail
What are the strengths of unstructured observations?
Gets more detail
Behaviours that were not expected by the researcher are still expected
What are the weaknesses of unstructured observations?
The data collected is more subjective
Takes more time and effort for the data to be recorded
What is a naturalistic observation?
The observation is carried out in the participant’s usual environment
What is a controlled observation?
The observation is carried out in a laboratory setting manipulated by the researcher
What are the strengths of a naturalistic observation?
High ecological validity
People may be more likely to act naturally in their normal environment
What are the weaknesses of a naturalistic observation?
There could be extraneous variables from the environment
It could be hard to see and record all data based on the surroundings
What are the strengths of controlled observations?
Higher level of controls over extraneous variables
Easy to set up the environment for ease of viewing behavioursW
What are the weaknesses of controlled observations?
Low ecological validity
People may alter their behaviour due to the unnatural setting
What is different about ethics in observations?
Observations are permitted to take place without consent in public locations where people may expect strangers to be looking at them anyway.
What is a participant observation?
The observer is working within the same location as the participants
What is a non-participant observation?
The observer is working in a separate location to the participants
E.g watching through CCTV in a different room or through a one-way mirror
What are the strengths of participant observations?
View likely to be obstructed
Can get more insider information by being up close to the participants
What are the weaknesses of participant observations?
Time consuming to set up
Could be dangerous
Could lose objectivity if become friends with the participants
What are the strengths of non-participant observation?
Less risk of observer bias
Less safety concerns
Less time to set up
What are the weaknesses of non-participant observations?
Less control
Likely to have view obstructed in some way
What is a covert observation?
The participants are unaware they are being watched
What is an overt observation?
The participants are aware they are being watched
What are the strengths of covert observations?
May mean participants are more natural in their behaviour (increasing validity)
Takes less effort from the researchers
What are the weaknesses of covert observations?
Breaks ethical guidelines
Might be hard to record data without breaking your cover!
What are the strengths of overt observtions?
Abides by the ethical guidelines
Easier to observe and take notes when participants are aware
What are the weaknesses of overt observations?
Participants may change their behaviour (social desirability bias or demand characteristics)
Takes effort and time to obtain consent
What two things relate to the validity of observations?
Observer bias
Observer effects
What is observer bias?
The observer may focus on some things more than others based on the expectations they have
E.g watching younger people on their phones more than older people at a train station as this was their hypothesis
What are observer effects?
The participants change their behaviour as a result of feeling watched
E.g participants eating salads when a researcher is watching them when they usually eat burgers and fries
