observational design

Question 1

behavioural categories

Answer 1

when a target population is broken up into components that are observable and measurable

Question 2

event sampling

Answer 2

a target behaviour or event is first established then the researcher records this event every time it occurs

Question 3

time sampling

Answer 3

a target individual or group is first establish then the researcher records their behaviour is a fixed time frame ( e.g every minute)

Question 4

structured observation

Answer 4

researcher determines what behaviours are to be observed before the research begins

Question 5

unstructured observation

Answer 5

direct observation to record behaviours as they occur (no plan)

Question 6

structured observation ao3

Answer 6

• behavioural categories make recording data easier
• easy to analyse (quantitative data)

Question 7

unstructured observation ao3

Answer 7

• difficult to analyse (qualitative data)
• rich and detailed data
• observer bias

Question 8

event sampling ao3

Answer 8

• useful when the target behaviour happens infrequently
• if event is too complex, researcher might overlook important details

Question 8

time sampling ao3

Answer 8

• reduces number of observations made
• may be unrepresentative

Question 9

inter-observer reliability

Answer 9

observations should be consistent producing similar results between different observers