observational design Flashcards
what are two ways of recording data
unstructured observation, structured observation
unstructured observation
when the researcher writes down everything that they see.
what type of data does unstructured observation create
accounts of behaviour which are rich in detail
when is unstructured observation appropriate
when observations are small scale and do not involve lots of participants
structured observation
simplifying target behaviours using behaviour categories
when is structured observation used
when there is to much going on in a single observation for researchers to record it all
behavioural categories
when a target behaviour is broken up into components that are observable and measurable (operalisational)
what should behavioural categories include
all ways the researcher should ensure that they have as possible, included all the ways in which the target behaviour may occur within their behavioural checklist. there should be no need for infereneces to be made
types of sampling method
event sampling, time sampling
when would sampling (event and time) methods be used
in structured observations, when it is impractical to write down all observations of target behaviour
event sampling
counting the number of times a particular behaviour occurs in a target individual or group
time sampling
involves recording behaviour within a pre-established time frame.
event sampling example
event sampling of dissent at a football match would mean counting the number of times players disagree with the referee
time sampling example
in a particular football match we may only be interested in one specific player so we may take note (using a behavioural checklist) of what our target individual is doing every 30 seconds
inter-observer reliability
to make data recording more objective and unbiased, observations should be carried out by at least two researchers. the data from different observers is then compared to check for consistency
why is inter-observer reliability used
single observers may miss important details or may only notice events that confirm their opinions or hypothesis, introducing bias into the process
how is inter-observer reliability carried out
-observers should familiarise themselves with behavioural categories to be used
-they then observe the same behaviour at the same time, perhaps as part of a pilot study
-observers compare data and discuss differences in interpretations
-observers should analyse the data and inter-observer reliability is calculated by correlating each pair of observations made and an overall figure is produced
structured observation strengths
-behavioural categories used make it easier to record data and more systematic
-data produced is likely to be numerical so analysing and comparing behaviour observed is more straight forward
structured observation limitation
less richness in detail and depth of observations
unstructured observation strengths
more richness and depth of detail in the data collected
unstructured observation limitations
-produce qualitative data which may be more difficult to record and analyse
-greater risk of observer bias as researcher may only record those behaviours that catch their eye which may not be the most important or useful
behavioual categories evaluation
-can make data more collection more structures and objective, it is important that they are as clear unambiguous as possible so they do not require further interpretation
-all forms of target behaviour must be included in the checklist and there should not be a ‘dustbin’ category in which may different behaviours are deposited
-categories should be exclusive and not overlap
event sampling strengths
useful when target behaviour or event happens infrequently and could be missed if time sampling was used
event sampling limitation
if event is too complex, the observer may overlook important details
