Oservational techniques

Question 1

naturalistic

Answer 1

watching + recording behaviour in a natural setting, not changed
reseracher doesn’t interfere + just observes behaviour as it happens normally

Question 2

controlled

Answer 2

behaviour observed under strict conditions e.g lab
EV controlled
control of some variables
artificial environment

Question 3

observational techniques

Answer 3

way of seeing + listening people without asking them

Question 4

pro observational techs

Answer 4

• can capture unexpected behaviour

Question 5

con observational techs

Answer 5

• cant determine cause and effect as variables not observed + not manipulated
• observer bias- using more than 1 observer will reduce this- less objective- less accurate

Question 6

naturalistic pro

Answer 6

• higher level of ecological validity- behaviour natural as environment is original + realistic- therefore behaviour more representative of everyday activities- generalised to everyday life- reflect real behaviour- high external validity

Question 7

naturalistic con

Answer 7

• issues w replication + reliability

- lack of control over EV that may influence behavhiour being observed

Question 8

controlled pro

Answer 8

• EV controlled

- easily replicated- high reliability- as variables highly controlled

Question 9

controlled con

Answer 9

• low external validity- artifical environment as variables manipulated- high level of control is unnatural- ppts behaviour not natural- cant be generalised- low ecological validity

Question 10

covert

Answer 10

ppts not aware being studied e.g. two way mirror.
behaviour watched without their consent
undisclosed, without their knowledge
observer not visible and hidden

Question 11

overt

Answer 11

ppts aware being studied
informed consent given before hand.
observer clearly visible not hidden

Question 12

covert pro

Answer 12

• high internal validity- ppts bheaviour natural- - no demand characteristics changing behaviour
• less investigator effects- hidden so less direct or indirect behaviour that will impact ppts performance- less demand characterisitcs- wont try to guess aims of study as unaware being observed- natural behaviour- representative - generalisable

Question 13

covert con

Answer 13

• ethical issues- lack of informed consent- not aware being studied

Question 14

overt pro

Answer 14

• more ethical- aware being studied- so can gain informed consent- allows right to withdraw- reputation of psych protected

Question 15

overt con

Answer 15

• investigator effects- bias as they influence ppts- ppts suffer demand characteristics- no natural behaviour- reduces internal validity

Question 16

ppt observations

Answer 16

person conducting study also takes part in activity

Question 17

non-ppt observations

Answer 17

researcher doesnt take part in study. remains separate from study

Question 18

ppt pro

Answer 18

• in depth data gathered as close to ppts- increases internal validity of findings

Question 19

ppt con

Answer 19

• investigator effects and demand characterisics more likely- influence ppts behaviour- natural behaviour not observed- reduces internal validity-

Question 20

non ppt pro

Answer 20

• less investigator effects- investigator cant influence ppts behaviour- bhevaiour more representative and natural

Question 21

non ppt con

Answer 21

• my miss important info- unique insights overlooked- too removed from ppts- decreases validity

Question 22

structured observations

Answer 22

behaviour recorded using behavioural categories- pre determined list of behaviours + sampling methods- behavioural category is specific behaviours that should be examined

Question 23

unstructured observations

Answer 23

observer records as much detail as possible, everything they see, rich + detailed

Question 24

structued pro

Answer 24

• higher levels of inter rater reliability

- qauntitve data easier to analyse and compare

Question 25

structured con

Answer 25

• lacks internal validity- resreacher may miss behaviour that’s important- findings may not show full picture- lack details- what had to be measured wasn’t measured

Question 26

unstructured pro

Answer 26

• rich detailed data obtained- behavipur recorded in great detail- good understanding of human behaviour- increases internal valifty

Question 27

unstructured con

Answer 27

• observer bias- lack of objective behavioir categories- observer may only record behaviour subjective + valuable to them- not valid representation- problem w inter observer reliability- lack of consistency
• qualitative more difficult to analyse and compare

Question 28

2 choice of observation methods for structured- event sampling

Answer 28

observer records number of time target behaviour occurs, records every time it occurs

Question 29

time sampling

Answer 29

researcher records behaviour at regular intervals e.g. every 30 secs. fixed time frame

Question 30

pro event sampling

Answer 30

all behaviour taken into account- used when target behaviour infrequent

Question 31

con event sampling

Answer 31

• behaviours could be missed if theres too much happening at same time

Question 32

pro time sampling

Answer 32

better use of time as fewer observations made

Question 33

con time sampling

Answer 33

may be unreprentative of whole behaviour as some could be missed that’s important outside time frames

Question 34

how can an observation be done?

Answer 34

• through cctv, recording for later analysis by ticking box when relevant behaviour shown through behavioural categories
• watch behaviour then tick box when each behaviour is shown
• resreach can be overt or cover aware and unware