Observational Methods Flashcards
Define covert
The observer is being concealed so participants don’t know they’re being observed
Give an advantage and disadvantage of covert observation
A- participants will behave more naturally as they don’t know they’re being observed so cant respond to demand characteristics
D- it is unethical if it happens where participants are not expected to be observed e.g. Not in a public place
Define overt
The observer is not concealed so participants know they’re being observed
Give an advantage and disadvantage of an overt observation
A- it is ethical, participants know they’re part of the study
D- they might change their behaviour and respond to demand characteristics meaning the results will be less valid
Define what a participant observation is
When the observer themselves is part of the target population/ Independent variable group
Give an advantage and disadvantage of a participant observation
A- the observer can develop a better understanding of the behaviour because they experience the same conditions
D- the observer may be more subjective (personal opinion/bias) because they’re involved in the situation
Define what a non-participant observation is
The observer is not part of the group being observed
Give an advantage and disadvantage of non-participant observations
A- the observer may be more objective (facts) and therefore less bias
D- the observer may not have as a deep of an understanding of the behaviour and conditions
Define what a structured observation is
The investigator looks for a certain set of pre-determined behaviours they’re looking for
Give an advantage and disadvantage of structured observation
A- easier to record and analyse data so it makes it easier to answer a specific research question
D- can be different to locate the behaviour you’re interested in… And you might ignore other significant behaviours
Define what an unstructured observation is
When the investigator doesn’t have a particular set of behaviours they’re looking for
Give an advantage and disadvantage of an unstructured observation
A- easier to locate behaviours you’re interested in… And you might take notice in other significant behaviours
D- harder to record and analyse so it makes it harder to answer a specific research question
Define what a naturalistic observation is
When participants are observed in a natural environment, real life setting
Give an advantage and disadvantage of a naturalistic observation
A- higher mundane realism, as in this setting they are going to experience everything in everyday life they would have already. This makes their behaviour more natural
D- greater effect of extraneous variables, which therefore reduces validity
Define what a controlled observation is
When participants are observed in an environment the investigator has set up themselves
Give an advantage and disadvantage of a controlled observation
A- more control over the extraneous variables, which therefore increases validity
D- lower mundane realism, as in this setting they may act more unnatural (may react to demand characteristics)
Define coding frame
In a structured observation, the investigator will create a table showing exactly what behaviours the observer should look for and any other instructions for the observation.
When to record and how to define behaviours
Define behavioural categories
A behaviour is broken down into individual acts that you can record
Define observer bias
When the observer watching, expects to see a certain behaviour, which could influence their data e.g. Expecting a certain emotion in a certain situation (more subjective)
Define observer effects
When the participants change their behaviour because of the person watching them, either intentionally or unintentionally
Define pilot study
When you do a preliminary run through of your experiment, usually with a small number of participants, to test whether your procedure works
Define operational
When a term used in an investigation is specified in detail so that all investigations interpret it in the same way (e.g. In an observation, every behaviour category has to be very specific so all observers know what they’re looking for
Define self-report method
Method by which we ask participants about their own feelings, thoughts or opinions. It is the only method we can use to directly measure thoughts, feelings and opinions. Self-reports can use questionnaires or interviews.
Give an advantage and disadvantage of self-report method
A- they can give a valid measure of thoughts,feelings and opinions
D- participants might lie, show social desirability or misunderstand the questions. This all reduces the validity
Define questionnaire
Participants record their own responses. Often use a pen and paper but can be done over the telephone or internet.
Give an advantage and disadvantage of questionnaires
A- they can be quick and easy to carry out, and are cheap to give to a large number of geographically diverse people
-participants may be happier to reveal honest information in a questionnaire rather that a face to face interview
D- they can contain leading questions, ambiguous questions or too many questions
- people may feel they need to answer in a particular way (social desirability)
- also they can tend to have a low response rate
Define interviews
Are usually conducted face to face. They can be written down on the spot or tape recorded and transcribed
Give an advantage and disadvantage of interviews
A- participants can ask questions if they feel they do not understand
-a skilled interviewer may be able to reveal more information than would be gained in a questionnaire
D- because they are conducting face to face, participants cannot be entirely anonymous. This could lead to greater evaluation anxiety and social desirability answers.
-it can be harder to maintain inter-rater reliability where more than one interviewer is being used
Define social desirability
When participants change their behaviour or responses in order to look good or to be liked
Define inter-rater reliability
When this is high, it means everyone judging a certain response or behaviour gives a similar rating or interprets it in the same way
