Observational design Flashcards
What is an unstructured observation
The researcher records any relevant behaviour with no system
What is a structured observation
A researcher uses systems to organise observations eg. behavioural categories and sampling procedures
What are behavioural categories
When a target behaviour is broken up into components that are observable and measurable
State an advantage of using unstructured observations
Richer qualitative data is collected
State two disadvantages of using an unstructured observation
- qualitative data is hard to record and analyse
- observer bias- researcher may only record those behaviours that catch their eye which may not be the most important or useful
State two advantages of using a structured observation
- produces quantitative data which is easier to analyse
- less chance of observer bias
What is inter-observer reliability
Observations being carried out by 2 or more observers to reduce bias. If there is consistency between the observers’ recording of behaviours there is higher inter-observer reliability.
What are two sampling methods for a structured observation
- time sampling
- event sampling
What is event sampling
The researcher records every time the target behaviour or event occurs.
What is an advantage of event sampling
Useful when target behaviours happens infrequently (time sampling may miss this)
What is a disadvantage of event sampling
If event is too complex observer may overlook important details
What is time sampling
The researcher records target behaviours in a given time frame
What is an advantage of time sampling
Effective in reducing number of observations made
What is a disadvantage of time sampling
Instances when behaviour is sampled might be unrepresentative of observation as a whole
