research methods: non-experimental designs (observational)

Question 1

what are the 3 things involved in observational designs?

Answer 1

.behavioural categories
.event sampling
.time sampling

Question 2

what is meant by behavioural categories?

Answer 2

.when a target behaviour is broken down into a set of measurable, observable, components (operationalisation).
.these should be clear with no overlap, e.g. smiling and grinning would be poor categories

Question 3

what is meant by event sampling?

Answer 3

.a target behaviour is first established.
.the number of times the behaviour (the ‘event’) occurs in an observation is tallied.

Question 4

what is a strength to event sampling?

Answer 4

.useful for infrequent behaviours, likely missed in time sampling

Question 5

what is a negative to event sampling?

Answer 5

.complex behaviour is oversimplified. If the event is complicated details go unrecorded (less valid)

Question 6

what is meant by time sampling?

Answer 6

.a target individual or group is first established.
.the researcher records their behaviour in a fixed time frame

Question 7

what is a strength to time sampling?

Answer 7

.reduces number of observations -It is more structured and systematic.

Question 8

what is a negative to time sampling?

Answer 8

.unrepresentative; behaviours are missed if outside the time