RM - Observational design Flashcards
What are beh. categories?
When a target beh. is broken up into components that are observable and measurable (operationalisation).
What is event sampling?
A target beh. or event is first established then the researcher records this event every time it occurs.
What is time sampling?
A target ind. or group is first established then the researcher records their beh. in a fixed time frame e.g. every 60 seconds.
What is an unstructured observation?
This is when the researcher writes down everything they see. Produces accounts of beh. in rich detail.
When are unstructured observations appropriate?
When an observation is mall scale and follows a small no. of ps.
E.g. observing an interaction between a couple and a therapist within a marriage guidance counselling session.
What is a structured observation?
When there is too much in a single observation for a researcher to record it all. Therefore the target beh.s are simplified using beh. categories.
Why are beh. categories used?
To produce structured record of what researcher observes. They need to be operationalised, which means clearly defined in terms of how they are measured.
What is an example of beh. categories being used?
Target beh. = affection
Broken down into hugging, kissing smiling, holding hands etc.
Why must beh. categories be clearly observable?
May be interpreted diff. by 2 diff. observers e.g. ‘being loving’.
What is event sampling and what is an example?
Counting the no. of times a particular beh. occurs in target ind. or group.
E.g. event sampling of dissent at a football match would mean counting no. of times players disagreed w/ the referee.
What is time sampling and what is an example?
Recording beh. within pre-established time frame.
E.g. In a particular football match we may only be interested in 1 specific player so we may take note of what target ind. does every 30 seconds.
What is a weakness of behavioural categories?
They may not be clear and could be ambiguous. Therefore if there is more than one researcher, they will al interpret it the same way. Further interpretation should not be needed.
What is a strength of beh. categories?
Can make data collection more structured and objective.
What is a weakness of event sampling?
If the specified event is too complex the observer may overlook important details meaning it is not effective.
What is a strength of event sampling?
Useful when target beh. or event is infrequent and could be missed if using time sampling.
