Research Methods 5: Types Of Observation Flashcards
The 6 types of observations are…
Controlled/Naturalistic, Covert/Overt, Participant/Non-Participant
Controlled observations are when…
participants’ behaviour is observed and measured in a controlled environment.
A strength of controlled observations is…
control over extraneous variables, the researcher manipulates the environment so it’s unlikely other factors will confound the results, increasing internal validity.
A limitation of controlled observations is…
demand characteristics, participants know they are part of a study so may act a certain way decreasing internal validity.
Naturalistic observations are when..
participant behaviour is watched and measured in a natural environment.
An advantage of naturalistic observations is…
reduction of demand characteristics, participants may be unaware that they are part of a study so behaviour is unlikely to be affected by demand characteristics increasing internal validity.
A limitation of naturalistic observations is…
low control over extraneous variables, situation is completely naturally occurring so it’d not possible to control extraneous variables decreasing internal validity.
Covert observations are when…
the observer is not clearly visible and participants do not know they are being observed.
An an advantage of covert observations is…
demand characters won’t confound results, participants don’t know they’re part of a study so no demand characteristics increasing internal validity.
A limitation of covert observations is…
there may be ethical issues, participants don’t know they’re part of a study so can’t give informed consent and can’t be fully debriefed. limitation because study may be seen as unethical
Overt observations are when…
the observer is clearly visible and participants know they’re being observed.
An advantage of overt observations is…
not unethical, participants know they’re being studied and can give informed consent strength because it’s considered ethical.
A disadvantage of overt observations is…
demand characteristics may confound results, participants know they’re being studied so behaviour may be affected by demand characteristics decreasing internal validity.
Participant observations are when…
the researcher becomes a member of the group.
A strength of participant observations is…
increased insight, researcher can experience the situation as the participants do giving them increased insight, increasing internal validity.
A limitation of participant observations is…
researcher bias may confound results, researcher may become too involved in the group and may lose objectivity, decreasing internal validity.
Non-Participant observations are when…
researcher remains outside the group being studied and doesn’t become a member of the group.
And advantage of non-participant observations is…
researcher bias is unlikely to confound results, not a member of the group that’s in the situation so aren’t likely to lose objectivity, increase internal validity.
A limitation of non-participant observations is…
decreased insight, researcher won’t experience the situation so might miss important subtleties and are likely to gather less data decrease internal validity
