Observational Techniques Flashcards
4 types of ways psychologists can record data
- Recording data - written notes or video / audio recordings
- Rate behaviour - using a scale of 1-10 etc
- Categorising data - operationalise emotions and put behaviour into categories
- Sampling behaviour - event (every relavant event) or time (every 10 minutes etc) samples being taken
What is non participant observation
when the researcher doesn’t get directly involved with the interactions of the participants and doesn’t take part in their activities
Non participant observation pros & cons
Pros:
-> Can focus on activity occuring and therefore a higher quality of detail + notes whilst staying objective and not missing anything
Cons:
->Researcher fails to have a deeper understanding of the participants as they don’t engage in the activity
->The researcher also needs to act natural so no one guesses that they are being observed
What is participant observation
when the researcher is directly involved with the interactions of the participants and will engage in the activities that the participants are doing
Pros and cons of participant observation
Pros:
By taking part the researcher can build rapport and this may lead to participants acting more naturally + disclosing more
Cons:
Risk of loss of objectivity
Interpretation of behaviour is biased as some struggle with only seeing from the participants view
What is covert observation
Psychologist goes undercover & doesn’t reveal their true identity -> may even give fake name etc
Pros and cons of covert observation
Pros:
-> less risk of demand characteristics
Cons:
-> no informed consent therefore theres a risk of deception & can break ethical guidelines
What is overt observation
The psychologist reveals their true identity and might state that they’re observing the group
Pros & cons of overt observation
Pros:
Ethical (in comparison to covert)
Cons:
Risk of demand characteristics / observer effects -> therefore making results less valid
What is naturalistic observation
A researcher observes participants in their own natural environment and there is no deliberate manipulation of the IV
Pros and cons of naturalistic observation
Pros:
1. Valid results as participants are unaware
2. High mundane realism + ecological validity
Cons:
1. No control over extraneous variables therefore results could be invalid
2. Risk of observer bias as there’s a lack of control
3. Can’t fully determine cause and effect relationship
What is controlled observation
the researcher observes participants in a controlled environment and this allows for manipulation of the
IV
Pros and cons of controlled observation
Pros:
1. Cause and effect can be determined
2. More validity as extraneous variables can be controlled
Cons:
1. Low mundane realism and ecological validity
2. Risk of social desirability bias / effect of demand characteristics higher
What is observer bias
the observer knows the purpose of the study so they may ‘observe behaviours’ that they think meet their
ms and hypothesis
-> this can influence how they record the data from the study which might be inaccurate
How to reduce observer bias (inter-rater reliability)
have two observers who each
cord their data separately: they then correlate their observations and data together (if a Kappa score
+0.8 is gained then the data gained from each researcher is reliable)
What is event sampling
the observer decides in advance what types of behaviour they are interested in and records all occurrences
-> all other types of behaviour are ignored
What is time-interval sampling
the observer decides in advance that observation will take place only during specified time periods (e.g. 10
minutes every hour, 1 hour per day) and records the occurrence of the specified behaviour during then
What is a pilot study
a preliminary small scale investigation of the procedures to be used in the main study: it involves selecting a few people and trialing out the study on them
Why do we do pilot studies
- help the researcher spot any problems
- to check if behavioural categories are suitable
- save time and money by identifying mistakes before the main one takes place
What are investigator effects
Any unintentional influences of the researchers behaviour / characteristics in participants / data outcome
How to minimise investigator effects
- provide a standardised script for the interviewers to use so that they all asked the same questions in the same way to avoid any bias in the students responses
- ensure all interviews = same person? Same gender etc
