observational design Flashcards
What are some examples of observational design?
Behavioural categories, event sampling, time sampling
What is an unstructured observation?
The researcher may write down everything they see, producing lots of detail on the behaviour they are observing.
When is an unstructured observation most appropriate to use?
Small number of participants, e.g., counselling.
What is a structured observation?
Researcher targets behaviours that will become the main focus of the investigation in behavioural categories.
When is a structured interview most appropriate to be used?
Too much going on.
What are behavioural categories?
Specific behaviour is split into components that are observation and measurable (operationalisation).
What are some examples of aggressive behaviours?
Punching, kicking, shouting, fighting, glaring, etc.
What must the researcher do before the observation takes place?
The target behaviour may occur within their behavioural checklist.
What is event sampling?
Researcher counts the number of times a behaviour occurs.
What is time sampling?
Researcher records certain behaviour in a fixed time frame.
What is inter-observer reliability?
Observations are conducted by at least two researchers, where it is compared afterwards to check for consistency and to reduce bias.
What is a strength of unstructured observations?
Qualitative data means more detail.
What is a limitation of unstructured observations?
Difficult to analyse and record.
What is a strength of structured observations?
Easy to analyse and record.W
What is a limitation of structured observations?
Limited detail due to quantitative data.
