Unit 4+5 Flashcards
chapter 4, 5, 6, 7, 12
what do observational designs consist of?
researcher observing and systematically recording some particular behaviour for the purpose of better describing the behaviour in question
ex. how children interact at a playground
ex. how rats at a dump share food
ex. how sales influence shopping behaviour
ex. how females interact with males in a bar
what are the two primary categories of observational research?
direct observation methods
indirect observation methods
what are direct observation methods?
ex. people watching is direct observation however to make it scientific you must record data
what are the two ways to directly observe?
without intervention
with intervention
what is the difference between without intervention and with intervention?
with no intervention researchers interfere as little as possible with a participants behaviour and direct observation with intervention is when the researcher purposely alters some aspect of the environment
what is a common type of direct observation without intervention?
naturalistic observation
what is naturalistic observation/ field observation?
normally is a qualitative method based on systematic observations that involves observing subjects in their natural environment
sometimes a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative is used as well as quantitative
field notes are created and can include information about all aspects (ex. setting, patterns of personal relationships…)
informed consent is usually unnecessary
what are limits to naturalistic observation?
cant be used to study all issues or phenomena
difficult to conduct (weird times)
interpreting the data is not simple
what are the two key issues with naturalistic observation?
whether to actively participate in the situation you are studying or not participate and only observe
whether to conceal your purpose or presence from the other people in the setting (concealed observation)
what is a common type of direct observation with intervention?
participant observer (they will have an active insider role)
what is participant observer research?
the researcher is the participant and the observer roles. this type of research can be disguised (people dont know their behaviour is being recorded) or undisguised (people know that their behaviours are being watched and recorded)
how do participants react to concealed observation?
results in less participant reactivity
whether to conceal or not depends on ethical and on the nature of the the particular group being studied
they normally will not disclose their purpose of the experiment
disguised participant observer research (concealed observation) minimizes the problem of reactivity, what is reactivity?
principle that states that participants or subjects respond differently when they know they are being observed
also called the hawthorne effect (because reactivity was first noticed in the hawthorne plant)
how can we minimize reactivity?
concealed observation
nonreactive or unobstructive operationalizations
allow time for people to become used to the presence of the observer and any recording equipment
what is participant reactivity?
the presence of the observer can affect peoples behaviours to cover this up we can use concealed observation (ex. one way mirrors, hidden cameras)
what is systematic observation?
the careful observation of one or more specific behaviours in a particular setting (setting is often created by the researcher)
used more often with quantitative approach
use a coding scheme often
what is a coding scheme?
a simple system researchers use to record, categorize and quantify qualitative observations to fit the needs of the particular study
ex. conversations coded for (1) topic, social or research related and (2) gender of the person they were speaking to. this study found that faculty were less likely to discuss research with female colleagues
sometimes researchers use coding schemes that already exist, what is the facial action coding system?
way to categorize subtle, fleeting, facial muscle movements
sometimes researchers use coding schemes that already exist, what is the mealtime interaction coding system?
codes interactions of family members during mealtimes
what is an independent variable and dependent variable?
independent variable is considered to be the cause (the independent variable causes changes in the dependent variable, we manipulate independent variables)
dependent variable is considered to be the effect (participants response to the manipulated variable)
what are the three requirements of cause and effect?
temporal precedence (causal variable must come first in the temporal order of events, then followed by the effect)
covariation between the two variables (changes in one variable must be accompanied by changes in the other)
eliminate plausible alternative explanations for the observed relationship
(if an experiment has all three of these, it is considered to have high validity)
how does the experimental method rule out alternative explanations?
by using random assignment (ex. using a list randomizer and large sample)
different forms of experimental control
what is a field experiment?
not the same as field observation (because field observation involves intervention). in field experiments the independent variable is manipulated in a natural setting out in the real world (ex. shopping mall, street corners)
what are advantages and disadvantages to field experiments?
advantage is that it takes place in a natural context, disadvantage is that the researcher loses the ability to directly control many aspects of the situation