observations Flashcards
what is a structured observation?
the researcher will have predetermined behaviours and they tally behaviours as they occur
what are the strengths of structured observations?
- higher inter rater reliability
- easier to record and analyse data
what are the weaknesses of structured observations?
- lower validity
- many miss behaviours
- increased observer bias
what is an unstructured observation?
the researcher has no predetermined behaviours to look for and so records any behaviours they see
what are the strengths of unstructured observations?
- higher validity
- less likely to miss behaviours
- reduced observer bias
what are the weaknesses of unstructured observations?
- lower inter rater reliability
- harder to record and analyse data
what is a naturalistic observation?
observation is carried out in a natural environment where you would expect to see the target behaviour occur
what are the strengths of naturalistic observations?
higher ecological validity
what are the weaknesses of naturalistic observations?
- less control of the environment
- harder to replicate
- less ethical
what is a controlled observation?
observation is carried out in an environment the researcher has control over
what are the strengths of controlled observations?
- more control of the environment
- easier to replicate
- more ethical
what are the weaknesses of controlled observations?
lower ecological validity
what are participant observations?
the observers are part of (or pretending to be) part of the group that is being observed
what are the strengths of participant observations?
more accuracy and detail
what are the weaknesses of participant observations?
increased observer bias + risk of ‘going native’
what are non-participant observations?
the observers are not part of the group that is being observed
what are the strengths of non-participant observations?
decreased observer bias
what are the weaknesses of non-participant observations?
decreased accuracy and detail
what are overt observations?
participants are aware that they are taking part in an observation
what are the strengths of overt observations?
increased ethics
what are the weaknesses of overt observations?
increased observer effects
what are covert observations
participants are not aware that they are taking part in an observation
what are the strengths of covert observations?
decreased observer effects
what are the weaknesses of covert observations?
decreased ethics
what is time sampling?
the observer records what the participant is doing at fixed time intervals
what are the strengths and weaknesses of time sampling?
STRENGTHS:
- easier to record data
WEAKNESSES:
- likely to miss behaviours occurring outside time period
what is event sampling?
researcher records the behaviour every time it occurs
what are the strengths and weaknesses of event sampling?
STRENGTHS:
- less likely to miss behaviours due to no timeframe
WEAKNESSES:
- may miss behaviours due to speed of behaviours
- harder to record data
what are behavioural categories?
where the observer has predetermined categories of behaviour to observe
what are the strengths and weaknesses of behavioural categories?
STRENGTHS:
- gives researcher a reminder of what behaviours to look for
- all data will be relevant
- increased reliability
WEAKNESSES:
- restricts the researcher to only the listed categories
- may miss important behaviours not on the list
what are coding frames?
where the behavioural categories are coded and can be rated for severity
e.g. a ‘P’ may indicate punching with a scale of 1-5 for severity
what are the strengths and weaknesses of coding frames?
STRENGTHS:
- allows for more detail than behaviour checklists
WEAKNESSES:
- open to interpretation and therefore may not be consistent
what is meant by the term observer effects?
when the presence of an observer changes participant behaviour
what is inter-rater reliability?
comparing the data recorded by 2 or more observers to see how similar they are
what is observer bias?
when observers focus on the behaviour they expect or want to see
what are the overall strengths of observations?
tend to be high in ecological validity if the observer remains undetected
avoids demand characteristics if observer remains undetected
what are the general limitations of observations?
a number of ethical issues can arise including problems with a lack of consent and invasion of privacy
difficult to replicate
little to no control of extraneous variables in observational studies
problems with observer bias
