Observation Flashcards
what are the six types of observation
- naturalistic
- controlled
- covert
- overt
- non-participant
- participant
what is a controlled observation
some variables are controlled by the researcher, reducing the ‘naturalness’ of behaviour being studied. Pts are likely to know that they are being studied.
what is a naturalistic observation
behaviour is studied in a natural situation where everything has been left as it is normally.
what is a participant observation
the researcher becomes a member of the group whose behaviour he/she is watching and recording.
what is a non-participant observation
the researcher remains outside of the group whose behaviour he/she is watching and recording.
what is a covert observation
participants behaviour is watched and recorded without their knowledge and consent
what is an overt observation
participants behaviour is watched and recorded with their knowledge and consent
what is an evaluation of controlled observation
s-fewer extraneous variables as controlled
w-low external validity as it cannot be applied to real life situations
what is an evaluation of naturalistic observation
s-high external validity as findings can be generalised to everyday life
w-very little control so difficult to replicate
what is an evaluation of overt observation
s-ppts have given informed consent
w-lack of control so extraneous variables so difficult to judge pattern of behaviour
what is an evaluation of covert observation
s-behaviour is natural as don’t know they are being watched which increases validity
w-unethical as not given informed consent and may find it intrusive causing harm to ppt
what is an evaluation of participant observation
s-increase the insight the psychologist gains so increases their understanding and so they will report more accurate behaviours
w-researcher may identify too much with the group and see them in a positive light(‘going naïve’) and link between researcher and ppt is blurred
what is an evaluation of non-participant observation
s-allows researcher to observe objectively and not become emotionally involved with ppts
w-distance may mean researcher doesn’t understand behaviour observed so reports may lack validity
what are unstructured observations
record everything
what are structured observations
break target behaviour into a set of behavioural categories e.g. kissing
how are observations data gathered
using a frequency count grid
what is inter server reliability
two observers agree on categories and how they are interpreted then observe the same thing at the same time and if results/observations are similar the observation was reliable
what are the sampling methods
- continuous
- event
- time
what is continuous sampling
when all behaviour that is observed is recorded-occurs in unstructured observations
what is event sampling
involves counting the number of times a particular behaviour occurs in an individual group
what is time sampling
recording behaviour with a ore-established time frame
what is an evaluation of structured observation
numerical, easier to analyse
what is an evaluation of unstructured observation
may just be eye catching info, qualitive data harder to analyse, observer bias
what is an evaluation of event sampling
useful for infrequent behaviour, misses complexity
what is an evaluation of time sampling
less effort but may not represent whole behaviour
