Observational design and Questionnaire construction

Question 1

inter-observer reliability

Answer 1

if in a observational study, the several observers codings/ratings agree with eachother

Question 2

Focal sampling

Answer 2

records the behaviour of one individual at a time

Question 3

eval of focal sampling

Answer 3

W: focal person may not engage in any of the behaviour categories your interested in

Question 4

event sampling

Answer 4

consists of observing a group and recording each time a specific behaviour ( EVENT) takes place

Question 5

eval of event sampling

Answer 5

S: allows observation of a large group of people
W: certain individuals/behaviours might be more conspicuous - leads to biased recording

Question 6

time sampling

Answer 6

Divides observation time into sample intervals and in each interval records the number of times behaviour is displayed

Question 7

what are closed questions?

Answer 7

allow only answers that fit into categories that the researcher has pre-determined

Question 8

eval of closed qs?

Answer 8

S: Data can be quickly obtained
Questions are standardised - all p’s receive same questions.
can be replicated
W: ANSWERS LACK detail - only tell the researcher what and not why

Question 9

What are open questions?

Answer 9

p’s can answer in as much depth as they want and most likely provide qualitative data

Question 10

eval of open qs

Answer 10

S: rich, qualitative data are obtained
W: takes longer for researcher to analyse qualitative information - often subjective
might be hard for p’s as they require writing skills and the ability to express feelings

Question 11

What are the 2 designs of interviews?

Answer 11

structured and unstructured