observations and questionnaires

Question 1

What is an observational study

Answer 1

Simply involves the watching and recording of peoples behavior

Question 2

What is a non-experimental method

Answer 2

observations are a non-experimental method.
Where there is no manipulation of variables, so observations are not classed as experiments. A researcher will simply observe behaviors and look for patterns

we cannot establish cause and effect

Question 3

what are the types of observation and explain

Answer 3

. naturalistic or controlled
- naturalistic : behavior is studied in a natural situation no variables have been changed e.g. in a classroom (high external validity, more ethical issues)
- controlled some variables are controlled by a researcher reducing external validity, participants are more likely to know they are being watched. e.g. a lab (high internal validity)
. participant or non participant
- participant : The observer acts as part of the group they are researching (can cause researcher bias)
- non-participant : Observer doesn’t become part of the group (stand on the sidelines)
. overt or covert
- overt : open observation where the participants know they are being observed and why
- covert : the observation is kept a secret. The observer is undercover (ethical issues) e.g. through cctv, video footage.

Question 4

What is observational design and explain

Answer 4

Unstructured or structured:
- unstructured : The researcher will record all relevant behavior but has no system. May be the first step into creating a coding system for structured observations
- structured : The researcher has a system that is used to record behavior. for example a coding system to tally the number of times a behavior occurs. Also they will use a number of sampling procedures to decide what and when to observe

Question 5

What is a coding system / behavioral categories

Answer 5

Dividing target behavior into subgroups of specific behaviors
e.g. target behavior = facial expressions
coding system = jaw drop , brow raise etc.

Question 6

What is a sampling procedure and what are the different types

Answer 6

Sampling procedure - How we record the data, a systematic method of sampling

Time sampling - only watch the sample in a time frame e.g. every 30 seconds
Event sampling -Count the number of times a particular event or behavioral category occurs in a target individual or group

Question 7

what is inter-observer reliability

what should the researchers do before the study

Answer 7

Single observers may miss important details or may only notice events that confirm their opinions or hypothesis. ( introduces bias )
to make it more objective and unbiased observations should be carried out by at least 2 researchers. If the data is consistent it shows it is reliable

researchers should:
- familiarize themselfes with the behavioral categories
- do a pilot study
- compare data they have recorded
- correlate each pair of observations

Question 8

What is the positives of using a questionnaire

Answer 8

• you can collect the same information form a large number of people easily
• You can ask people directly

Question 9

What is and open and closed question
and what data do they give

Answer 9

open question
- The participant can give any answer they like (qualitative)

closed question
- There are a set number of answers to choose from (quantitative)

Question 10

What is a Likert scale and a rating scale
and what data do the give

Answer 10

Likert scale
- A scale of responses to a question, often 1 to 5 demonstrating a level of agreement (quantitative)

rating scale
- Participants identify a value that represents their strength of feeling (between 1-10)
(quantitative)

Question 11

What is a structured and unstructured interview

Answer 11

structured = standardised interview the interviewer asks a set of prepared questions ( closed - end questions )

unstructured = Questions are not arranged in advance. The interviewer asks open-end questions on the research topic

Question 12

What is a semi-structured interview

Answer 12

The interviewer may have a set of prepared questions but as new information arises the questions can alter. e.g. going to a doctors appointment
(can be called a clinical interview)

Question 13

What are the advantages and disadvantages of open questions

Answer 13

advantages
- produce qualitative data which can provide new incites
- provides more info
- higher validity due to participants being able to say what they want (less participant bias)
- representative

disadvantages
- Hard to analyse and draw conclusions from qualitative data
- large range of answers

Question 14

What are the advantages and disadvantages of closed questions

Answer 14

Advantages
- quantitative data so its easy to analyse
- Only have answers relating to the research and what the researcher wants

disadvantages
- unrepresentative meaning low validity

Question 15

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a structured interview

Answer 15

advantages
- Can be carried out by a non-professional
- can be easily repeatable
- standardised questions (high validity)

disadvantages
- participants answers are restricted
- interviewer bias

Question 16

What are the advantages and disadvantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 16

Advantages
- detailed information can be contained

disadvantages
- interviewer bias
- questions are not standardised