observations Flashcards
what are observations
a non experimental technique, the researcher watches, records spontaneous/natural behaviour of participants without manipulating levels of IV
what are the types of observation
controlled
naturalistic
overt
covert
participant observation
non participant observation
what is a controlled observation
aspects of the environemnt are controlled, in an attempt to give participants the same experience. this is often conducted in a lab
what are the advantages of controlled observations
- controlling the envt and giving the same experience reduces the likelihood that extraneous variables are responsible for observed behaviour
- results are likely to be reliable as it uses the same standardised procedures
what are the disadvantages of controlled observations
artificial so may result in unnatural behaviour not like behaviour shown in real world situations
what is a naturalistic observation
takes place in the “real world”. places participants are likely to spend time in such as school, work or at home
what are the advantages of naturalistic observations
- high realism, participants show more naturalistic behaviour
- external validity, behaviour is more likely to be generalisable to other situations
what are the disadvantages of naturalistic observations
uncontrolled extraneous variables may be responsible for the behaviour observed resulting in lower internal validity
what is an overt observation
the participants are aware they are being observed as part of an observational study. the participant can see the researcher
what are the advantages of an overt observation
ethical as participants have given their informed consent and know what they have signed up for
what are the disadvantages of an overt observation
- demand characteristics are likely if the participants know they are being observed, they may show behaviour they think the researchers wants to see
- social desirability bias
what is a covert observation
the participants arent aware they are being observed and they can’t see someone taking notes/recordings (observer may physically be present)
what are the advantages of a covert observation
participants arent aware they are being observed so are more likely to show naturalistic behaviour free from demand characteristics or social desirability bias
what are the disadvantages of a covert observation
more unethical as participants havent given informed consent
what is a participant observation
the researcher joins the group being observed and takes part in the groups activities and conversations
what are the advantages of a participant observation
researcher may build rapport, more trust and comfort leading participants to behaving naturally and disclosing more information
what are the disadvantages of a participant observation
can lose objectivity, interpretation of behaviour may be biased seeing only from the perspective of the participant
what is a non participant observation
the researcher is separate from the participant recording observations without taking part in the groups activities.
what are the advantages of a non participant observation
researcher remains objective when interpreting behaviour
what are the disadvantages of a non participant observation
lack of trust/rapport with participants, researcher misses out on important insights. participants behaviour isnt natural
what is observational design
the choice of behaviours to record and how they are measured
what is operationalised behavioural categories
behaviours need to be clearly identifiable and measurable
what are behavioural categories
how to record behaviour you are interested in
how should behaviour be recorded
the categories used should be objective, cover all possible component behaviours and be mutually exclusive
how can behaviour be recorded
using time or event sampling
what is time sampling
researcher records all relevant behaviour at set points or a given time frame
what are advantages of time sampling
more flexibility to be able to record unexpected types of behaviour
what are disadvantages of time sampling
can miss behaviour that happens outside of the recording periods
what is event sampling
researcher records every time a behaviour occurs in the target individual from a list of operationalised behavioural categories
what are the advantages of event sampling
as long as the behaviour has been included in the list of behavioral categories it should be recorded it it happens in any stage of the observation
what are the disadvantages of event sampling
may miss relevant behaviour on the list of behavioural categories
why should researchers assess the reliability of their own observations
even with clear behavioural categories, interpreting observed behaviour can be affected by bias
how should researchers assess the reliability of their own observation
by seeing if it is consistent with another researcher’s observation
what is inter observer/rater reliability
two or more trained observers conduct the same observation
what do the trained observers do
1) they agree and use the same checklist/tally of operationalised categories
2) observation is conducted separately by each observer
3) compare the two independantly produced data sets.
how can the strength of the relationship between two data sets be assessed
using a test of correlation
which correlation is accepted by the inter observer
0.8 or stronger is generally accepted
how can bias be reduced in inter observer/rater reliability
using two observers who are unaware of the true aims of the research to reduce observer bias (double blind trial)
