Observational Designs (AO1 + AO3)

Question 1

What are the 2 types of Observational Designs?

Answer 1

structure/unstructured
event sampling/time sampling

Question 2

What is a Structured observational design?

Answer 2

researcher uses ‘schedules’ to document behaviour - time or event sampling

behaviour is organised into behavioural categories, usually in a tally chart

Question 3

Positives of Structured observational design?

Answer 3

• easier to compare between ppts
• coding is more systematic = less confusing
• greater inter-observer reliability

Question 4

Negatives of Structured observational design?

Answer 4

• low internal validity bc some behaviour may be missed due to time/event sampling
• lacks finer details

Question 5

What is an Unstructured observational design?

Answer 5

every instance of the behaviour is recorded and described in as much detail as possible

Question 6

Positives of Unstructured observational design?

Answer 6

• data much richer in detail
• higher internal validity

Question 7

Negatives of Unstructured observational design?

Answer 7

• prone to observer bias bc lack of objective behaviour categories
• researcher records behaviour of subjective value to them
• usually low inter-rater reliability as a result

Question 8

What is Event Sampling?

Answer 8

observer records every time the target behaviour occurs e.g. using a tally

Question 9

Positives of Event Sampling?

Answer 9

• every behaviour of interest to the researcher will be counted throughout the observation

Question 10

Negatives of Event Sampling?

Answer 10

• much more time-consuming
• possibility for behaviours to be missed if there is too much happening at once

Question 11

What is Time Sampling?

Answer 11

observer records behaviour at prescribed intervals e.g. every 10 secs

Question 12

Positives of Time Sampling?

Answer 12

• easier
• less time-consuming

Question 13

Negatives of Time Sampling?

Answer 13

• target behaviour could happen in between the time intervals + so could be missed

Question 14

What are Behavioural Categories?

Answer 14

• when psycholgists decide which specific behaviours are to be studied in an observation
• involves breaking the target behaviour down into components that can be observed + measured

Question 15

What should Behavioural Categories always be?

Answer 15

operationalised -
super important that behavioural categories are operationalised (made clear what exact behaviours you are looking for)

e.g Bandura’s experiment -
behavioural categories = kicked the doll, punched the doll etc.

Question 16

What is Inter-Observer Reliability?

Answer 16

• refers to the extent which 2+ observers are observing + recording behaviour in a consistent way
• used when there is a risk of subjectivity = often if a psychologist is diagnosing a mental disroder it makes sense to have another psychologist also make a diagnosis to check that they both agree
• in observations using behavioural categories inter-rater reliability is important to make sure that the categories are being used in the correct manner

Question 17

What is the difference between inter-observer / inter-rater reliabilty?

Answer 17

NONE
they are the same thing