Types of Observations

• Observations are looking at how people behave by recording , interpreting or watching participants natural behaviour. This is a non experimental method allowing researchers to study observable behaviour within a natural or controlled setting

  Observations are used within a experiment as a way to assess the dependent variable
• Naturalistic observations - are observations that take part in participants natural setting where the target behavior would usually occur
• A strength of natural observation is that

  • Have high external validity as findings are able to be generalised to everyday life as behaviour is studied within the environment it would normally occur
  • Participants are unaware they are being observed reducing likelihood of demand characteristics or social desirability bias
  • Provide rich detailed qualitative data on complex behaviors
• A weakness of naturalistic observations -

  • Lack of control over research makes it difficult to replicate the investigation
  • There may be uncontrolled extraneous variables that make it difficult to judge patterns of behavior
  • Observing people without consent may raise ethical issues as participants aren't able to give informed consent
• Controlled observation are in a controlled area of the researchers choosing such as Mary Ainsworth study
• Advantages of controlled observations

  • High control of variables minimizes extraneous variables increasing internal validity of the findings
  • High control means standardised procedures can be used making it easier for other researchers to replicate the study and verify it's reliability
• Limitation of controlled observations

  • Variables in the environment are manipulated, reducing the naturalness of the environment due to artificial setting
  • Increases likelihood of demand characteristics as participants may figure out the aims of the study
  • Low ecological validity due to artificial setting the findings may not be able to generalise to real world settings
• Covert observation is where participants are unaware they are in a study and behaviors are observed secretly without participants knowing
• Advantages of covert observations

  • Reduces likelihood of participant reactivity/ demand characteristics as participants are unaware they are being observed this ensures that any behaviour observed will be natural increasing the validity of the data gathered.
  • High ecological validity as it is conducted in participants natural setting therefore more likely to behave naturally
• - The observer effect, where the presence of the researcher influences participants’ behavior, is minimized or eliminated since participants are unaware of the observation.

  
  

  -Covert observations often result in qualitative, in-depth insights into authentic behavior, making them valuable for exploratory research.
• Overt observation - where participants know they are being observed and have given informed consent beforehand.
• Advantage of overt observation

  • Participants give informed consent and are aware of the purpose of the study, reducing ethical concerns such as deception.
  • Being overt allows the researcher to openly take notes, record data, or use equipment without resorting to covert measures, improving data accuracy.
• Disadvantage of overt observation

  • participants are aware they are being observed and may display social desirability bias
  • Demand characteristics
  • Observer effects The presence of the researcher might unintentionally influence participant behavior, especially in sensitive or high-stakes contexts.
  • Limited Generalizability: Findings may not be representative of how people behave in natural settings where they are not being observed, reducing ecological validity.
• Participant observation is where the Researcher joins in with the activity being carried out by the participant
• Advantages of participant observation– • The Researcher gets greater insight into those being observed • Close proximity to participants increasing validity of findings

  • High Ecological Validity: Observing behavior in its natural setting ensures the findings are more reflective of real-life interactions and situations.
• Disadvantage of participant observations

  • Researcher may loose objectivity as they may become close with the participants being studied Observer bias

  • Time-Consuming: Building rapport with participants and integrating into the group can take a significant amount of time, prolonging the research process.