Observational Technique Flashcards
what are the types of observational techniques
natural
controlled
overt
covert
participant
non-participant
define a controlled observation
aspects of the environment are controlled to give all pp’s the same experience. often conducted in a lab
define naturalistic observation
observing and recording behaviour in naturally occurring situations without manipulation. eg, school and home
evaluation of a controlled observation
because controlled observations are done in a lab, they lack mundane realism, due to it not being representative of real life. this may result in DC and unnatural behaviour
evaluation of naturalistic observations
pp’s are more likely to behave naturally and not artificially which increases generalisability to other natural environments
define overt observation
participants can see the observer and aware they are being researched
evaluation of of overt observations
pp’s have given informed consent which follows the BSP guidelines making the research ethically sound
define covert observations
pp’s are not aware that they are being observed
define participant observation
the observer becomes a participant in the group being observed
define non participant observations
researcher is separate from the pp’s, recording their behaviours without taking part
define observational design
the choice of behaviours to record and how they are measured
define operationalised behavioural categories
behaviours need to be clearly identified and measurable. eg, aggression= punches thrown
define operationalised behavioural categories
define operationalised behavioural categories
define time sampling
researcher records relevant behaviours at set points.
evaluation of time sampling
allows the researcher flexibility to record behaviour and has the opportunity to record unexpected behaviours
behaviours that may be relevant but are not in the time frame may be missed and produce unrepresentative data
define event sampling
a behaviour/event is recorded every time it occurs
evaluation of event sampling
behaviours that are not on the categorised list are not recorded, which means relevant behaviours could be missed
