observational design Flashcards
what is unstructured observation?
researcher writes down everything they see
what is a structured observation?
researcher simplifies target behaviours using behavioural categories
what should good behavioural categories be?
● observable
● clear and unambiguous
● mutually exclusive
what are behavioural categories?
ensures target behaviours are precisely defined and made observable and measurable
what is time sampling?
involves recording behaviour within a pre-established time frame
what is event sampling?
involves recording behaviour continuously over a particular time period
what are the strengths of time sampling?
reduces observer fatigue - number of observations made is reduced
what are the limitations of time sampling?
important behaviour could be missed outside of observation window
what are the strengths of event sampling?
observing continuously - less likely to miss important behaviour
what are the limitations of event sampling?
observer fatigue - more likely so important behaviour could still be missed
what is inter-observer reliability?
● observations should be carried out by at least 2 researchers
● data from different researchers compared to check for consistency
● for results to be reliable, must be at least 80% agreement on all observers results
how do you increases inter-observer reliability?
use clear and specific behavioural categories
what to remember when writing tallies?
add a column for the total
