observational techniques

Question 1

what are covert observations?

Answer 1

participants behaviour is observed without their knowledge or consent

Question 2

evaluate covert observations

Answer 2

+ investigator effects are less likely as their behaviour is unlikely to impact that of the participant, so behaviour is more natural

– since participants can’t give full informed consent and don’t have the right to withdraw, it creates ethical issues

Question 3

what are overt observations?

Answer 3

when participants are aware that their behaviour is being recorded

Question 4

evaluate overt observations

Answer 4

+ as they are aware their behaviour is being recorded they can give consent and be made aware of the aims, making it more ethical

– there is a possibility of investigator effects so participant may display demand characteristics, natural behaviour wont be observed

Question 5

what are participant observations?

Answer 5

the researcher (person observing) takes part in the activity being observed

Question 6

evaluate participant observations

Answer 6

+ can gain unique and in-depth data due to close proximity to participants, gain a comprehensive understanding of behaviour

– possibility of investigator effects and the researcher may also be subjective. natural behaviour isn’t observed, lowering internal validity

Question 7

what are non participant observations?

Answer 7

the observer doesn’t engage with the participants or the activity being done and simply observes

Question 8

evaluate non participant observations

Answer 8

+ reduced chance of investigator effects so behaviour is more likely to be natural and reflect real life

– the lack of proximity to participants may cause the researcher to miss key behaviours

Question 9

what are naturalistic observations?

Answer 9

the researcher observes behaviour in a natural, unaltered setting

Question 10

evaluate naturalistic observations

Answer 10

+ high ecological validity as natural behaviour is being observed

– no control over ev’s, so the test-retest method can’t be used, cant replicate as behaviour is natural

Question 11

what are controlled observations?

Answer 11

done under strict and controlled conditions, e.g. in a lab or observation room

Question 12

evaluate controlled observations

Answer 12

+ variables are highly controlled so can be replicated to assess reliability

– conducted in an artificial setting so lacks ecological validity, behaviour may be less natural

Question 13

what are structured observations?

Answer 13

use coded schedules to document behaviour and organise data into behavioural categories

Question 14

evaluate structured observations

Answer 14

+ can compare behaviour across groups/between participants as the use of operationalised behavioural categories makes coding more systematic

– may miss crucial behaviours so findings may not fully represent the behaviour in question, limiting internal validity

Question 15

what are unstructured observations?

Answer 15

every instance of the observed behaviour is recorded and described in detail

Question 16

evaluate unstructured observations

Answer 16

+ gain rich in-depth data to get a comprehensive view of behaviour, increasing internal validity

– prone to observer bias and subjectivity due to the lack of objective behavioural categories, so may be an issue with inter-observer reliability

Question 17

observational design: time sampling

Answer 17

an observer records behaviour at set time intervals, e.g. every 10 seconds

Question 18

evaluate time sampling

Answer 18

+ better use of time as fewer observations are being made

– may miss crucial behaviours that occur between the allocated time frames

Question 19

observational design: event sampling

Answer 19

the observer records the number of times a behaviour occurs

Question 20

evaluate event sampling

Answer 20

+ every behaviour of interest should be recorded, gaining a more comprehensive view of behaviour

– if too much is happening at once certain behaviours may be missed, the observer could consciously or unconsciously ignore some