observational design

Question 1

unstructured observation

Answer 1

write down everything they see.
rich in detail, small scale only

Question 2

structured observation

Answer 2

simplified target behaviours that will become main focus using behavioural categories.

Question 3

behavioural categories

Answer 3

In order to structure what is recorded, researchers need to clearly define target behaviours

Question 4

effective categories

Answer 4

Behavioural categories should be measurable, not overlap and avoid ‘dustbin categories’ within which many behaviours are recorded.

Question 5

sampling methods

Answer 5

Behaviour may be recorded continuously or using sampling method.

Question 6

event samping

Answer 6

Counting the number of times a particular behaviour occurs

Question 7

time sampling

Answer 7

recording behaviour within a pre-established time-frame

Question 8

data

Answer 8

Observers may record quantitative data (which is easy to analyse but narrow in scope) or qualitative data (which is rich in detail but conclusions may be biased).