RM Observations Flashcards
Observational study is
Watching and recording people’s behaviour
Eg a scoring system
Keeping notes
Video recording
Categories of observation
1) controlled vs naturalistic
2) participant vs non participant
3) covert vs overt
Controlled observation
Environment/behaviour is controlled/structured to some extent
Conducted in lab or controlled environment
Helps to control variables
Strengths of controlled observation
Higher control over environment - set up as you need it
Easy to replicate - reliable - standardised procedures
Limitations of controlled observation
Lower in ecological validity - artificial environment
Demand characteristics- lowers validity
Naturalistic observations
Environment that observation will take place in has not been set up by researcher eg ‘real environment’
Strengths of naturalistic environment
Ecological validity
Less demand characteristics
Limitations of naturalistic observation
Hard to control variables
Difficult to replicate
Participant observations
Researcher takes part in observation
1st hand account of what they’ve observed eg Stanford prison exp - zimbardo
Strengths of participant observation
Researcher has higher insight
Increased validity
Limitations of participant observation
Too involved, lose focus and objectivity
Researcher bias
Non participant observations
Researcher remains separate from investigation
Record results in objective manner
Strengths of non participant observation
More objective
No observer bias
Limitations of non participant observation
Less insight - lowers validity
May misunderstand behaviour as separate from group
Covert observations
Participants unaware they’re being observed
Researcher hidden from participants
Behaviour must be public and happening for it to be ethical
Strengths of covert observations
Less affected by demand characteristics
Higher validity
Limitations of covert observations
Ethical issues - no informed consent, privacy + confidentiality, deception, no right to withdraw
Overt observation
Participants know they’re being watched
They’ve consented beforehand
Strengths of overt
No ethical issues
Limitations of overt
Demand characteristics
Lowers validity
How to record data
Observers decide on specific behaviours to be observed
Behaviour categories must reflect what is being studied
Easier than taking notes - put into table/tally chart
Allows reliability to be established
Event sampling
Counting the number of times a behaviour occurs
Eg tally chart
Time sampling
Counting behaviour in set time frame
Eg observing behaviour for one min intervals
You may miss behaviours you can’t include as out of time frame
