Observations, Questionnaires, and Interviews Flashcards
What is participant observation?
When the researcher participates in the activity under study.
Advantages of participant observation?
- The researcher develops a relationship with the group under study,
- Gaining a greater understanding of the group’s behaviour.
Limitations of participant observation?
- Researcher loses objectivity by becoming part of the group,
- Participants may act differently if they know a researcher is amongst them.
What is non-participant observation?
When the researcher observes the activity without getting involved in it.
Advantages of non-participant observation?
- The researcher can remain objective throughout the study.
Limitations of non-participant observation?
- The researcher loses a sense of the group dynamics by staying separate from the group.
What are structured observations?
Where the behaviour categories that are going to be used are defined in advance.
Advantages of structured observations?
- It is easier to gather relevant data because you already know what you are looking for.
Limitations of structured observations?
- Interesting behaviours could go unrecorded because they haven’t been pre-defined as important.
What are overt observations?
Where the researcher’s presence is obvious to the participants.
Advantages of overt observations?
- They are much more ethically sound than other methods because the participants are aware of the research.
Limitations of overt observations?
- People might change their behaviour if they know they’re being observed.
What are covert observations?
Where the researcher’s presence is unknown to the participants.
Advantages of covert observations?
- The participants are much more likely to behave naturally.
Limitations of covert observations?
- Gaining ethical approval may be difficult.
What is controlled observation?
Often take place in a laboratory so that the researcher can control the conditions. In example, Bandura’s Bobo doll study.
Advantages of controlled observation?
- Because the study is highly controlled, it is possible to replicate it to check that the results are reliable,
- A controlled environment means that extraneous variables can be controlled, so it becomes possible for cause and effect to be established.
Limitations of controlled observation?
- They will have lower ecological validity than naturalistic observations,
- Participants may alter their behaviour if they know they are being observed.
What is naturalistic observation?
Takes place in a natural environment, rather than a lab. Can be structured in adsvance to make sure no behaviours are missed; involves making design decisions.
What design decisions can be made in observations?
- Recording data,
- Categorising behaviour,
- Rating behaviour,
- Sampling behaviour,
- Inter-observer reliability.
What is ‘recording data’?
If you want qualitative data you could just make written notes. But video or audio recording means that you have a more accurate permanent record.
What is ‘categorising behaviour’?
- Must define the behaviours you aim to observe,
- In example, if you were going to observe children in a playground to see how many behave aggressively, you’d have to decide what counts as aggression,
- Involves giving an operationalised definition (i.e. some specific, observable behaviours),
- For example, you could say that aggressive behaviour is ‘any physical act made with the intention of hurting another individual’.
What is ‘rating behaviour’?
- Use a rating scale to classify behaviour,
- Could put each participant’s behaviour into one of several categories, e.g. aggressive, not aggressive, mildly aggressive,
- Or could use a coding system where each participant is given a number (e.g 1-10) to represent how aggressive they were, where a higher score would indicate more aggression,
- However, you still have to define what kinds of behaviour are included for each number on the scale.
What is ‘sampling behaviour’?
- Have to decide how often and for how long you are going to observe the participants,
- Either event sampling or time-interval sampling.