Observations Flashcards
(29 cards)
What is an unstructured observation?
A type of observation in which there is no predetermined behaviour to look out for - observers simply record all types of behaviours that they see.
What type of sampling are structured observations linked with?
Event sampling
What type of sampling is time sampling associated with?
Unstructured observations.
What is a participant observation?
A type of observation in which the observer joins in with subjects in the activity they are watching.
What is a non-participant observation?
A type of observation in which observers DO NOT join in with the activity they are watching.
What is a structured observation?
A type of observation in which observers have a list of pre-determined behaviours to observe/look out for.
What is an observation?
A type of research method in which researchers watch and record naturally-occurring behaviour.
What is an overt observation?
A type of observation where observers are out in the open and participants can see them.
What is a covert observation?
A type of observation where observers are hidden away so that participants cannot see them.
What is an advantage of covert observations?
Low demand characteristics/natural behaviour, as PPS are not aware they are being watched.
What is a disadvantage of covert observations?
Not very ethical.
What is an advantage of participant observations?
- Observers can have a deeper understanding of participants’ behaviour, as they will be much closer to them.
What is a disadvantage of participant observations?
- More demand characteristics/less natural behaviour from participants.
- More difficult to take notes.
What is an advantage of structured observations?
- Generates quantitative/quantifiable data which is easy to analyse, compare and display visually, using a graph for example.
What is a disadvantage of structured observations?
Observer/research bias - observers will see what they want to see, as they will expect to see certain behaviours that are on his/her checklist.
What is an advantage of overt observations?
- More ethical
What is a disadvantage of overt observations?
More demand characteristics, as participants will know they are being watched.
What is an advantage of non-participant observations?
- Easier to take notes
- Participants act more naturally
What is a disadvantage of non-participant observations?
Observers gain less of an understanding of participants’ behvaiour, as they are further away.
What is an advantage of unstructured observations?
More objective
What is a disadvantage of unstructured observations?
Difficult to accurately record all that happens.
How can observations be improved?
More than one observer
Inter-rater reliability
Intra-rater reliability
What is time sampling?
A way to organise an observation where observers only watch participants for a certain amount of time at set intervals. For example, an observer might watch someone on their phone for 10 seconds every 2 minutes. However, when they are observing, they record all types of behaviour that they see.
What is an advantage of time sampling?
Convienient and easy for researchers to carry out.
