Observational Design Flashcards
Define a ‘naturalistic observation’
Behaviour is observed in an everyday setting in which the target behaviour would normally occur.
Define ‘controlled observation’
Behaviour is observed under controlled conditions where certain variables have been regulated by the researcher
Covert vs Overt observations
Covert -Observing people WITHOUT their knowledge or consent
Overt - Observing people WITH their consent and knowledge.
Participant vs non-participant observations
Participant - Researcher becomes a member of the group they are observing
Non-participant - Researcher remains outside the group they are watching.
State one advantage and 2 disadvantages of using a naturalistic observation
High ecological validity if covert- gives realistic picture of behaviour as it’s being observed in a context where it would normally occur
- Hard to replicate
- Uncontrolled extraneous variables.
State 1 disadvantage and 2 advantages of using a controlled observation.
- Low ecological validity
1) Easy to replicate
2) Can focus on particular aspects of behaviour
State 1 advantage and disadvantage of using a covert observation.
Reduces likelihood of demand characteristics- increases validity of results.
Ethical issues as cannot give informed consent. (Allowed to observe in a circumstance they would expect to be watched by strangers - can seek retrospective consent)
State 1 advantage and disadvantage of using an overt observation
- More ethical
- Demand characteristics- ptpts are aware they’re being studied and so may change behaviour- reduces validity of results
State 1 advantage and disadvantage of participant observations
Increased insight from the ‘inside’ into the lives of people being studied that may not otherwise have been gained
Researcher may lose objectivity - “going native”. When the line between being a researcher and participant becomes blurred.
State 1 advantage and disadvantage of using a non-participant observation
More likely to be objective as not part of the group they are observing
May lose insight as they are too removed from the people they are studying.
What is an unstructured observation?
The researcher records any relevant behaviour with no system
What is a structured observation?
A researcher uses systems to organise observations e.g. behavioural categories and sampling procedures
What are behavioural categories?
When a target behaviour is broken up into components that are observable and measurable
State 1 advantage and 2 disadvantage of using unstructured observations
Richer qualitative data is collected
1) Qualitative data= hard to record and analyse
2) Observer bias= researcher may only record those behaviours that catch their eye which may not be the most important or useful
State two advantages of using structured observations
1) Produces quantitative data which is easier to analyse
2) Less chance of observer bias
What are two sampling methods for a structured observation?
1) Event sampling
2) Time sampling
What is event sampling?
The researcher records every time the target behaviour or event occurs
What is 1 advantage and disadvantage of event sampling?
Useful when target behaviours happens infrequently (behaviour is rare and so may be missed if use time sampling)
If the target behaviour is occurring frequently, it may be difficult to record everything
What is time sampling?
The researcher records target behaviours in a given time frame e.g. noting what a target individual is doing every 15 seconds
What is a disadvantage of time sampling?
Instances when behaviour is sampled might be unrepresentative of observation as a whole
