Observational Designs

Question 1

What are two observational designs?

Answer 1

• Time sampling
• Event sampling

Question 2

What is time sampling?

Answer 2

Recording behaviours in a given time frame

observations are made at regular intervals

e.g noting what a target indvidiual is doing every 30 seconds. During the time the observer might tick from one or more cateogories

Question 3

What is event sampling?

Answer 3

Counting the number of times a certain behaviour (event) occurs from a target indvidiual within a given time frame

e.g counting how many times a person smiles in a 10 minute period

Question 4

Strength of time sampling:

Answer 4

• Advantage: Reduces the number of observations as rather than recording everything data is recorded at certain intervals. Observation more structured and systematic

Question 5

weakness of time sampling:

Answer 5

• • Disadvantage: Unreprsentative as researcher may miss important details out of time-scale so not reflect whole behaviour

Question 6

Strength of event sampling:

Answer 6

• Advantage: Record infrequent behaviour as researcher still ‘pick up’ behaviours that do not occur at regular intervals. Such behaviours could easily be missed during time sampling
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Question 7

weakness of event sampling:

Answer 7

• • Disadvantage: Complex behaviour is oversimplified : If event too complex, important details are unrecorded, affect validity of findings

Question 8

How do these observational designs link to Ainsworth Strange Situation?

Answer 8

• Time each stage by a few minutes
• Measure the child’s behaviour during that time interval - tiem sampling