Observations Flashcards
What are naturalistic observations
Carried out in a natural setting and focus on peoples naturally occurring behavior
What are controlled observations
Conducted in a laboratory which allows the researcher more control over the environment. behavior may be observed through a one way mirror
What is a participant observation
Involved the observer becoming part of the group situation and infiltrating social groups-typically produce qualitative data
What is a non participant observation
where the researcher remains external and watches participants from a distance
What are overt observations
Where participants are aware they are being observed
What are covert observations
Where participants do not know they are being observed
What are unstructured observations
Can be conducted when the researcher simply writes down everything they observe in field notes and analyzing it later by looking for patterns of behavior in the information recorded
What are structured observations
Involves the observer using a coding frame like a behaviour checklist of predetermined behaviours to count the number of times specific behaviors occur by using a tally system
What do you use if its a structures observations with more than one observer
Inter rater reliability
How would you establish if an observation has inter-rater reliability
researchers need to initially compare observations and check if they matched-to do this the observers would all need to watch the same individuals but record the participants behaviour independantly
results compared using a correlation
if observers agree and a positive correlation is established then inter-observer reliability is achieved
What is one way to increase the level of inter-rater reliability
researchers meeting prior to he study to establish and agree on behaviour catagories
Pilot study could be used to assess the ease of the coding scheme and to identify any problems before real observation so they can be amended
Important that behaviour is fully operationalised so that all observers know what constitutes a certain behaviour
What level of agreement must be reached to have high inter rater reliability
80%
What is event sampling
The technique of listing all the behaviours you might see and observe continuously ticking every time you see them uninterrupted for the whole duration of the observation period
What is time sampling
Enables the observer to record some information about when behaviours occur. An observation time is decided and then the observation period is divided into predetermined time intervals and records of behaviour are related to thee
What are the strengths of a controlled observation
High control over extraneous variables due to an artificial setting= increased internal validity
What are the weaknesses of a controlled observation
Lower ecological validity because they are potentially more artificial due to controlled nature= not generalized to real life
What are the strengths of a naturalistic observation
High in ecological validity because they are conducted in a real life setting observing natural behaviour= more generalizable to real life
What are the weaknesses of a naturalistic observation
More potential for confounding variables to effect the results because of the lack of controls over the situation participants are observed in = decreased internal validity
What are the strengths of a participant observation
Allows observer to gather more detailed accounts due to flexibility because the observer is involved in the events =researchers are more likely to get more accurate data because of the insight it is more useful
What are the weaknesses of a participant observation
Hard to remain hidden due to the observer being involved in what they are observing = could lead to demand charecteristics or social desirability bias
What are the strengths of a non participant observation
Reduces the effect of the observer on the participants behaviour because participants are unaware of the observations taking place= reducing potential for demand charecteristics
What are the weaknesses of a non participant observation
Observer may miss vital information because they are external to participants so may not have a full view on them = decreases internal validity
What are the strengths of covert observations
Reduces possibility for demand characteristics as participants are unaware of the observation taking place - increases internal validity
What are the weaknesses of covert observations
Difficult to remain hidden because the observer will still have to take notes = participant may spot the researcher looking suspicious - ethics private space and lack of consent so deception
What are the strengths of overt observations
Removes ethical issues such as invasions of privacy because the participants know they are being observed= improved reputation of Psychology
What are the weaknesses of overt observations
Potential for demand charecteristics as they know theyre being observed so may change behaviour to suit what the observer wants = (observer effect) decreases internal validity
What are the strengths of structured observations
Simplifies the data recording process and makes it easier to establish inter-rater reliability as there is a predetermined list of operationalised behaviors= standardised quant data so most reliable by all means increases internal reliability
What are the weaknesses of structured observations
Due to predetermined categories other spontan eous behavior cannot be recorded therefore only giving a limited view of behavior = decreased internal validity
What are the strengths of unstructured observations
All potential behavior can be recorded as there are no set behavioral categories = more insight in behavior
What are the weaknesses of unstructured observations
Difficult to check for consistency and establish inter rater reliability as lots of difficult behaviours can be recorded = lowers external reliability
What are the strengths of time sampling
Reduces researcher fatigue as you dont have to constantly watch behavior because you only observe at set intervals = simplified data recording
What are the weaknesses of time sampling
Potential to miss behavior that is occurring outside of the time schedules when the observation takes place = lack of validity
What are the strengths of event sampling
Less likely to miss behavior as its continuously recorded and all occurrences of behavior can be noted down = allows connection of valid data as no behaviors are missed like time sampling
What are the weaknesses of event sampling
May be difficult to record behavior so you may miss some behavior whilst recording others as you have to observe continously= leads to a lack of validity as only most eye catching may be noted
