Observational Techniques + Designs Flashcards
naturalistic observation
watching and recording behaviour in the setting where it would normally take place
naturalisitc: strength
high ecological validity
high external validity
naturalistic: weakness
low ecological validity IF pps are aware they’re being watched
difficult to replicate
confounding/extraneous variables are uncontrolled
controlled observation
watching and recording behaviour in a structured environment
e.g. lab setting
controlled: strength
can focus on one particular behaviour
control over extraneous/confounding variables
easy replication
controlled: weakness
unnatural behaviour bc unnatural environment
low mundane realism, therefore low ecological validity
demand characteristics
overt observation
pps are aware that their behaviour is being watched and recorded
overt: strength
ethically acceptable - informed consent
overt: weakness
unnatural behaviour bc pps know they are watched
demand characteristics
covert observation
pps are unaware that their behaviour is being watched and recorded
covert: strength
natural behaviour - high internal validity
no demand characteristics
covert: weakness
ethical issues - no informed consent
participant observation
observer is part of the group being observed
participant: strength
more insight into pps lives
external validity
participant: weakness
the researcher loses objectivity bc identify with pps
inaccurate recording of data bc time difference between observation and writing down
non-participant observation
researcher observes from a distance (not part of the group being observed)
non-participant: strength
researcher more objective bc less likely to identify with pps
non-participant: weakness
observer bias
lose valuable insight
observer bias
an observer’s reports are biased by what they expect to see and the stereotypes of the situation
observer bias: solution
checking the inter observer reliability
inter-observer reliability
many researchers conduct the observational study, reports are compared and scores calculated to show the correlation coefficient
(total number of agreements / total number of observations) x 100
- high inter observer reliability = any score above 80%
- ‘if it ain’t 0.8 it ain’t great’
intra-observer reliability
the same researcher repeats the observational study, compares the reports and scores are calculated to show the correlation coefficient
unstructured observation
continuous recording where the researcher writes everything the see during the observation
unstructured: strength
more richness and depth of detail
unstructured: weakness
qualitative data - more difficult to record and analyse
greater risk of observer bias
structured observation
researcher quantifies what they are observing into a predetermined list of behaviours and sampling methods, then tallies how many times they see this
- two types of sampling methods: time sampling, event sampling
structured: strength
easier (more systematic)
quantitative data is easier to analyse and compare
less observer bias
structured: weakness
no depth of detail
harder to have higher inter observer reliability bc predetermined list is subjective
behavioural categories
target behaviour which is being observed is broken up into more precise components which are observable and measurable
e.g. observing aggressive behaviour = shouting, punching, swearing
- shouldn’t overlap: must be clearly operationalised + unambiguous
time sampling
recording behaviour within a time frame that is pre-established before the observational study
time sampling: strength
reduces number of observations, therefore less time consuming
time sampling: weakness
small amount of data
unrepresentative of the observation as a whole
event sampling
involves the counting of the number of times a particular behaviour is carried out by the observed group
event sampling: strength
picks up infrequent behaviours
event sampling: weakness
important behavioural details are overlooked
counting errors
hard to find the beginning and ending of a behaviour
