Observational techniques Flashcards
Define and evaluate covert observations.
Observing people without their knowledge.
Evaluation:
- Ethical issues are related with covert observations. People are unaware that they are taking part in an investigation and therefore cannot give consent
- Investigator effects are less likely to occur because demand characteristics are less likely to be shown by participants since they are unaware of the investigation so we can see more natural and everyday behaviour of people which reduces the internal validity of the method.
Define and evaluate overt observations.
Observing people with their knowledge that they are being observed.
Evaluation:
- It is more ethical than the covert method since participants are aware that they are being observed and can give consent. The reputation of psychological research as being ethical is also protected.
- Investigator effects are more likely to occur since it is possible that participants could display demand characteristics since they are aware of the investigation and therefore we cannot see natural and everyday behaviour of people which reduces the internal validity of the method.
Define and evaluate participant observations.
When the person conducting the observation also takes part in the activity being observed. It can be either overt or covert.
Evaluate:
- Researchers can obtain in-depth data since they are close to the participants and therefore are unlikely to overlook any behaviour. This means that a full understanding of human behaviour can be possible using this method.
- Investigator effects are more likely to occur since the presence of the researcher may cause participants to show demand characteristics which means natural and everyday behaviour cannot be observed which reduces the internal validity of the method.
Define and evaluate non-participant observations.
When the person conducting the experiment does not take part in the activity being observed.
Evaluation:
- Investigator effects are less likely to occur since the participants will not encounter the researcher conducting the experiment and therefore will be much less likely to show demand characteristics and instead show natural, everyday behaviour. This increases the internal validity of the method.
- Because of the lack of proximity between the researcher and the participants, the researcher might miss or overlook important behaviours which means a full understanding of human behaviour would be less likely to occur.
Define and evaluate naturalistic observations.
An observation carried out in an unaltered setting where the observer does not interfere and only observes the behaviour as it happens normally
Evaluation:
- A strength of using the naturalistic observation method is that is has a high level of ecological validity since the behaviour is being observed in a natural environment that reflects real-life setting and everyday behaviour. It also means that the results are much more likely to be generalised to wider populations.
- A limitation is that the method may have low levels of internal validity since the researcher has no control over the environment or any extraneous variables that could be responsible for the behaviour being observed.
Define and evaluate controlled observations.
An observation carried out under strict conditions such as a laboratory or observation room where extraneous variables can be controlled to avoid interference with the behavior being observed.
Evaluation:
- A strength is that they can be easily replicated to check for reliability since the variables are highly controlled.
- A limitation is that they have low levels of external validity since the high levels of control means that the nature of the observation is unnatural. This means participants can show demand characteristics and alter their behaviour which means natural behaviour is not being observed.
Define and evaluate structured observations.
An observation where the researcher documents behavior they see into behavioral categories.
Evaluation:
- The researcher can compare behavior between participants and across groups.
