observational techniques

• What are observational techniques?

  Methods used to observe behavior in various settings
• What is the date mentioned in the study material?

  Wednesday 16th October
• What is naturalistic observation?

  • Behavior observed in a natural environment
  • No changes made to the environment
• What is a strength of naturalistic observation?

  It has high external validity, allowing generalization to everyday life
• What is a weakness of naturalistic observation?

  Issues of replication due to events occurring naturally
• What is the difference between covert and overt observations?

  Covert:

  • Participants are unaware they are being observed
  • Ethical behavior must occur naturally

  
  

  Overt:

  • Participants are aware they are being observed
• What is a strength of covert observations?

  Reduced demand characteristics, leading to higher validity of results
• What is a weakness of covert observations?

  Ethical concerns regarding participant awareness
• What is controlled observation?

  • Behavior observed in an artificial environment
  • Many aspects of the observations are controlled
• What is a strength of controlled observations?

  They are replicable due to standardized procedures
• What is a weakness of controlled observations?

  Lack of mundane realism; not reflective of everyday life
• What does "mundane" mean in this context?

  Boring
• What is a strength of overt observations?

  Participants can provide informed consent
• What is a weakness of overt observations?

  They can lead to demand characteristics
• What are participant and non-participant observations?

  Participant:

  • Researcher becomes involved in the research
  • Increases validity as the researcher sees behavior firsthand

  
  

  Non-participant:

  • Researcher does not interact with the observation
  • Simply observes behavior
• What is a strength of participant observation?

  Increased validity as the researcher is involved
• What is a weakness of participant observation?

  Increased objectivity issues due to researcher involvement
• What is structured observation?

  • Specific behaviors are recorded
  • Pre-arranged by researchers using predetermined categories
• What is a strength of structured observation?

  Produces quantitative data, making it comparable
• What is unstructured observation?

  • Everything is recorded in detail
  • Good for small samples
• What is a strength of unstructured observation?

  Provides rich, in-depth accounts of behavior
• What is a weakness of unstructured observation?

  May lose insight due to lack of structure
• What are behavior categories in observational research?

  • Components of target behavior that are observable and measurable
  • Helps in organizing observations
• What is a weakness of behavior categories?

  They may overlap, leading to confusion
• What is inter-observer reliability?

  It helps overcome observer bias by having multiple observers present
• How is inter-observer reliability calculated?

  By correlating each pair of observations to create an overall figure
• What are observational sampling methods?

  • Event sampling: Observing specific events as they occur
  • Time sampling: Observing behavior in a fixed time frame
• What is a strength of event sampling?

  Good for events that happen periodically
• What is a weakness of event sampling?

  Complex behaviors may cause issues with replication reliability
• What is a strength of time sampling?

  Effective in reducing the number of observations needed
• What is a weakness of time sampling?

  The time frame may be unrepresentative of the behavior observed