observations Flashcards
what are observations?
the watching and recording of some aspects of a person’s behaviour
how can observations be used in different researches?
to collect the data
controlled & naturalistic observations
where behaviour is studied in a natural, real-world situation where everything has been left as it is normally. normally participants know nothing about what is going on. there is no direct manipulation/control over the variables that are being studied e.g ofsted observation
controlled observation
takes place in a setting that has been specifically created for the study, where some variables are controlled by the researcher e.g observed through a one-way mirror
participant observation
where the researchers responsible for collecting the data, becomes part of the group of people who’s behaviour is being studied
non-participant observation
when the observer is merely watching the behaviour of others and acts as a non-participant
direct observation
watching and recording behaviour first hand
direct observation
watching and recording behaviour first hand
indirect observation
using previously collected data such as observing TV advertisements, using secondary data
e.g ticking a relevant box of every time a behaviour occurs
structured observations
involves the use of clearly defining the ‘behavioural categories’ to be used prior to the observation
e.g ticking the relevant box every time a behaviour occurs
uses trained observers to agree with each other on what they are looking out for and how to do it
quantitative data
unstructured observations
recording behaviour that can be seen and can involve the use of a video camera to gain qualitative data
discolsed observations
(overt) participants know they are being observed
undisclosed observations
(covert) participants are not aware they are being observed
overt vs covert
overt = open = disclosed
covert = covered = undisclosed
2 ways to sample behaviour
- time sampling
- event sampling
time sampling
involves observing behaviour for / at certain periods
event sampling
involves observing and recording a specific event every time is occurs
advantages of observational methods
- high in ecological validity
= they help us to identify actual behaviour rather than what people say they do in different situations - they help to produce hypothesis for future investigations
- they allow us to capture spontaneous and unexpected behaviour unlike only measuring one variable in a lab experiment
disadvantages of observational methods
- observational bias may lead to unreliable data
= observers may ‘see’ what they expect to see - ethics can be an issue
= participants may not know they are being observed which leads to deception and invasion of privacy - demand characteristics
= if participants know they are getting observed, it may alter their behaviour and the way they act - it doesn’t tell us anything about how people think or feel, just how they outwardly behave
what is a coding scheme?
the breaking up of behaviours into different components or categories, called behavioural categories, which are recorded using behavioural checklist, coding system or coding scheme
2 types of sampling behaviour?
- time sampling
- event sampling
what is time sampling?
observing and recording what happens in a series of fixed time intervals
what is event sampling?
observing and recording a complete event each time it occurs
what practical observation did we do?
an observation on how students use their social time in college
