Observations Flashcards
What is a participant observation?
Where the researcher participates in the activity under the study
Strengths of participant observation
- the researcher develops a relationship with the group under study
- therefore they can gain a greater understanding of the group’s behaviour
Weaknesses of participant observations
- the researcher loses objectivity by becoming part of the group
- the pps may act differently if they know a researcher is amongst them
What is a non participant observation
When the researcher observes the activity without getting involved in it
+the researcher can remain objective throughout the study
-the researcher loses a sense of the group dynamics by staying seperate from the group
What are natural observations?
- take place in a natural environment
- unobtrusive observational study
Strengths of natural observations
- pps unaware that they are being observed, so behave naturally
- provide richer and fuller infomation because it is a natural evironment
- work well with children and animals because they can’t follow directions
- easier to generalise to real life
Weaknesses of natural observations
- researcher has no control of variables so it’s hard to establish cause and effect. This means replicating can be harder
- is pps become aware they are being observed so behaviour can be different
- could pose ethical issues if they don’t know they are being observed
- developing and training observers takes time
- impossible to replicate because no control of variables
What are controlled observations
often take place in a lab so researcher can control the conditions
Strengths of controlled observations
good control of variables so experiment can be replicated
- less risk of extraneous variables influencing the pps behaviour than a natural observation between all variables are controlled
- rich and more complete data than experimental studies because it produces limited responses
Weaknesses of controlled observation
- conducted in an artifical situation which can influence behaviour- might act differently
- harder to generalise to other situations becase it isn’t a real life situation
- investigator effects can be an issue because it can change your behaviour
- demand characteristics can be present
What is inter rater reliability
the extent to which two or more persons agree when coding behaiour
What is intra rater reliability
refers to whether the same observer is coding behaviour in the same way
Participant and non participant observations can be overt or covert. What are overt observations?
where the researcher’s presence is obvious to the pps
Strengths of overt observations
much more ethically sound than other methods because the pps are aware of the research
Weaknesses of overt observations
people might change their behaviour if they know their being observed
