Research Methods-Observations Flashcards
What is the difference between Controlled and Naturalistic observations?
In a naturalistic observation, the behaviour is studied in a natural situation where everything is left as normal. In a controlled observation, some variables are controlled by the researcher reducing the naturalness of behaviour being studied.
What is the difference between Participant and Non-Participant observations?
In a Non-Participant observation, the observer watches the behaviour of others and acts as a non-participant. In a participant observation, the observer participate which affects their objectivity and makes it difficult to record behaviours.
What is the difference between Disclosed and Undisclosed observations?
In disclosed (overt) observations, participants know they are being observed which may alter their behaviour. In undisclosed (covert) observations, participants are unaware they are being observed.
What is the difference between Direct and Indirect observations?
Direct observations is the process of watching and recording behaviour first hand (primary data). Indirect observations uses secondary data for example: TV advertisements and newspaper articles.
What is the difference between Structured and Unstructured observations?
Structured observations rely on the use of coding schemes in order to record and categorise behaviours. Unstructured observations involves merely recording behaviour that can be seen and can involve the use of a video camera.
List advantages of the observational method
1) High ecological validity - Help us identify actual behaviours rather than what people say they do in different situations.
2) Help initial investigations in a new area of research to produce hypothesis for future investigations.
3) Allow us to capture spontaneous and unexpected behaviour unlike only measuring one variable in a lab experiment.
List disadvantages of the observational method
1) Observer bias may lead to unreliable data.
2) Poorly designed behavioural checklists reduces reliability as behaviour may be inconsistently recorded.
3) Ethical issues like deception and invasion of privacy if they don’t know they are being observed. Demand characteristics if they do know they are being observed.
4) Don’t tell us how people think or feel, only how they outwardly behave.
Define coding scheme
Designed to help us code what we observe in terms of how often a type of particular behaviour appears. When designing a coding scheme, it must be: objective, covers all possible components and doesn’t have any overlapping categories.
List advantages of coding schemes
Fairly simple to carry out and provides quantitative data which can be analysed statistically.
Ensure only set behaviours are being consistently recorded making the procedure replicable therefore increasing reliability.
List disadvantages of coding schemes
Gives a restricted view of what is happening. The researcher may miss important behaviour and the data is not as in-depth as simply observing behaviour that is occurring at a time.
Define recording medium
The researcher will have to decide what they will use for recording data. This can include a written record, a videotape or audiotape or all of these combined.
List advantages to recording mediums
Enables the behaviour to be re-examined over and over again. This helps fill any gaps that might have been missed during the original observation and ensures that the findings are more reliable if other researchers are used (inter-rater reliability)
List disadvantages to recording mediums
A camera or audiotape has a limited angle of what is being recorded and thereby misses the wider context in which the behaviour is recorded which reduces the validity.
Define Time Sampling
Involves observing and recording what happens in a series of fixed time intervals.
List advantages to time sampling
Can be more reliable as only short periods of behaviour are being observed at specific intervals making the recording of behaviour easier,
