research methods - non-experimental methods Flashcards
what are observations?
watching participants and recording their behaviour
why are observational techniques non-experimental?
they have no IV and DV and don’t attempt to establish cause and effect
what is a naturalistic observation?
watching and recording behaviour in a natural situation where the researcher does not influence the situation of participants in any way
strength & weakness of a naturalistic study:
strength - high ecological validity as the environment is normal
weakness - difficult to replicate
what is a controlled observation?
watching and recording behaviour in an environment which has been regulated and controlled by the researcher (eg: lab)
strengths and weaknesses of controlled observations:
strengths - easy to replicate (work can be verified)
weaknesses - low ecological validity (lacks mundane realism)
what is an overt observation?
when participants are made aware that their behaviour is being watched and recorded, regardless of the setting in which they are being observed
what is a covert observation?
when participants are not aware that their behaviour is being watched and recorded
issues with covert observations
participants will not have given their informed consent to take
can using a CCTV recording be covert?
yes
strengths and weaknesses of overt observations:
strengths - more ethical
weaknesses - behaviour changes when observed
strengths of covert observations:
-behaviour is more natural
-less demand characteristics
-less observer effects
weaknesses of covert observations:
-less ethical
-can only observe where you expect to be observed
what is a participant observation?
-the observer is part of the group being observed
-the observer watches the behaviour from within the social situation being studied, acting as one of the group and even interacting with the group being observed
strengths and weaknesses of a participant observation:
strengths - closer to everything that’s going on (deeper understanding of the behaviour)
weaknesses - less objective (the researcher may become too involved | eg: zimbardo)
what are behavioural categories?
dividing a target behaviour (such as stress, aggression or affection) into a subset of specific, observable behaviours
why are behavioural categories used?
in order to produce a structured record of what a researcher sees (or hears
examples of behavioural categories for affection:
‘hugging, kissing, holding hands’
what must behavioural categories be?
clearly ‘operationalised’ and must cover all possible ways the behaviour may occur
how are behavioural categories recorded?
-a table is made that has headings of each behavioural category and frequency
-the researcher can then observe the behaviour by standing in a relevant position and tick the box when each behaviour is shown
benefits of behaviour categories?
-allow observers to tally observations into pre-arranged groupings
-using categories provides clear focus for the researcher
-categories allow for more objective / scientific data recording
-categories provide data that is easier to quantify / analyse
what is observer bias?
when an observer’s expectations influence what they sees/hear/records
ways to record behaviour:
-videos
-1 through 10 scale
-tally
-in the spot notes
observer bias when a scale is used:
if a scale is used, a biased. observer may award a higher score to one party even when the same behavior is used