observations

• what is naturalistic observation

  where behaviour is studied in a natural setting where everything has been left as it normally is
• what is a strength of naturalistic observations

  high ecological validity- the observation is in a natural setting for Ps so the behaviour seen is more likely to be naturally occurring- so generalisability and external validity is increased
• what is a drawback of naturalistic observations

  lacks control- a natural experiment means there are numerous extraneous/confounding variables as the researcher does not have control over the environment- this reduces the internal validity of the findings
• what is a controlled experiment

  where some variables are controlled by the researcher, reducing the 'naturalness' of the behaviour shown by Ps- Ps are likely to know they are being studied and the study may be conducted in a laboratory
• what is a strength of a controlled experiment

  high control- extraneous/ confounding variables are studied as the researcher has control over the environment
• what is a drawback of controlled variables

  low ecological validity- the observation is not in a natural setting for Ps and the behaviour shown is less likely to be naturally occurring
• what is a covert observation

  where the participants do not know they are being observed
• what is a strength of a covert observation

  fewer extraneous variables- as Ps aren't aware they are being observed, they will display natural behaviour- therefore there will be fewer extraneous variables which increase the internal validity, generalisability and external validity
• what is a drawback of covert observation

  as Ps are not aware that they are not taking part in research, they won't have given consent and they are being deceived- this breaches guidelines for research with human Ps
• what is overt observation

  where the participants know that they are being observed
• what is a strength of overt observations

  ethical- as Ps know they are being watched by researchers, it is likely that they have given consent, even if it is informed consent so there will be less deception- therefore the ethical guidelines have been upheld
• what is a drawback of overt observations

  extraneous variables- Ps may behave different as they know they are being watched- this could be due to factors connected with the researchers and consequently this would reduce the internal validity
• what is participant observations

  where the observer also joins in with the activity/discussion of the people they are observing
• what is a strength of participant observations

  practical method- if the researcher joins in with the activity that the Ps are engaging, this makes it easier for them to accurately hear what is being said and see what is happening- this will increase the internal validity
• what is a drawback of participant observations

  practical problem- as the researcher is joining in with the activity that the Ps are engaging, it means it will be tricker for them to record the behaviour- it is likely they will need to remember what they see and hear and to record the data sometime later- this could lead to inaccurate behaviour being recorded, which would reduce both the internal validity and reliability
• what is a non-participant observations

  where the observer is separate to the participants that they are observing
• what is a strength of non-participant observations

  objective- as the researcher is effectively an 'outsider', looking in on the researcher means it is easier to remain impartial and to see the behaviour within a wider context and given that objectivity is a feature of science and psychology is a science, this is a desirable attribute
• what is a drawback of non-participant observation


  practical problems- as the observer is likely to be sat some distance away from the Ps, it is possible that they may not be able to accurately hear what everyone is saying and some behaviour can be missed- this would reduce the internal validity
• what is a direct observation

  where the researcher conducts their own observation
• what is a strength of direct observations

  gathers primary data- this means that the researcher themselves has specifically collected the data to fit the aim of the study- this means that the researcher is likely to have greater confidence that they are measuring what they want to measure
• what is a drawback of direct observations

  time consuming- given that the researcher needed to collect their own data, this takes more time- this means that there will be negative economic implications
• what is an indirect observation

  where the researcher analyses the behaviour recorded
• what is strength of indirect observation

  more economical- as the researcher does not collect their own data, they make use of existing recordings of behaviour, this takes less time and costs less money to do in comparison to a direct observation- t/f there are positive economic implications
• what is a drawback of indirect observation

  gathers secondary data- this means that they have no control over what behaviour is recorded and how. it is likely that the researcher will need to make some compromises and this may mean that they are unable to answer the research question that they originally intended
• what are the types of observation design

  event sampling and time sampling
• what is event sampling

  counting the number of times a certain behaviour occurs in a target individual
• what is a strength of event sampling

  increased internal validity- this is because every relevant behaviour is recorded- this means the data collected and subsequent data analysis will be an accurate representation of the behaviour seen
• what is a weakness of event sampling

  practical issues- if may behaviours happen in quick successions, it could tricky for a researcher to accurately record all behaviour- this would reduce the internal validity of the findings as the data is incomplete
• what is time sampling

  recording behaviours in a given time frame
• what is a strength of time sampling

  practical method- this is because the interval between data collection points can be used to accurately record the data- this would increase the internal validity of the findings
• what is a drawback of time sampling

  lacks validity- this is because some behaviours may be missed between data collection points , this means that the data collected would not be a fair accurate representation of the behaviour of the Ps, which reduces the internal validity of the conclusions made
• what is two types of observation design


  structured and unstructured observations
• what is a structured observation

  the researcher has established their aim and has decided their sampling procedures- this will produce quantitative data
• what is a behavioural checklist

  it is where a target behaviour has been divided into a subset of specific and operationalised behaviours- it enables the collection of quantitative data
• what is a strength of structured observations

  objective- as the researchers have decided in advance what specific behaviours they are interested in, so there is less risk of bias. also, collection of quantitative data in a behavioural checklist during a structured observation is more objective to analyse- as objectivity is a criteria for science, it is more desirable as psychology is a science
• what is a drawback of structured observations

  could potentially lead to data lacking in validity- structured observation work best when the researcher is confident that they know what behaviours they are likely to see in their study - but the rigidity of the behavioural checklist means that other interesting and unexpected behaviours might be missed- this was compromise the quality of the data collected
• what is an unstructured observation

  the researcher records all relevant data but has no system- this will produce qualitative data
• what is a strength of unstructured observations

  valid- this allows the researcher to remain open-minded and record any and all behaviours which unfold in front of them- this means that the data recorded is likely to be an accurate reflection of the behaviour seen, which would increase the internal validity
• what is a drawback of unstructured observations

  subjective- it is unrealistic that the researcher could write a description of all behaviours as they happen, which invites bias as the researcher will need to make decisions about what to include in their description and they don't have the time to record- t/f the internal validity will be reduced