A03

• What is a benefit of observational methods?

  They capture unexpected behavior
• Why might people not act as they say they would?

  Because behavior can be unpredictable
• What is a limitation of observational methods?

  Observer bias can affect interpretations
• How can observer bias be reduced?

  By using more than one observer
• What can observational studies not demonstrate?

  Causal relationships
• What is a characteristic of naturalistic observations?

  They have high external validity
• Why is replication difficult in naturalistic observations?

  Lack of control over the research situation
• What is a drawback of controlled observations?

  Findings may not apply to everyday life
• How do covert observations increase internal validity?

  Participants behave naturally without awareness
• What ethical concern arises from covert observations?

  Right to privacy may be violated
• What is a potential issue with overt observations?

  Participants may alter their behavior
• What is a benefit of participant observations?

  Increased insight into participants' lives
• What is a danger of participant observations?

  Loss of objectivity due to identification
• What is one benefit of observational methods?

  Capture unexpected behaviour
• Why can observational studies not demonstrate causal relationships?

  Though observational techniques may aid in detecting cause-and-effect relationships
• What is a limitation of naturalistic observations?

  Difficulty in replicating the investigation
• How do controlled observations differ from naturalistic observations?

  Findings may not be as readily applied to everyday life
• What is a benefit of covert observations?

  Removes the problem of demand characteristics
• What is a limitation of covert observations?

  People may not wish to have their behaviours noted down
• What is a benefit of overt observations?

  More ethically acceptable
• What is a limitation of overt observations?

  Knowledge of being observed may influence participant behaviour
• What is a benefit of participant observations?

  Increased insight into the lives of the people being studied
• What is a benefit of non-participant observations?

  Maintain an objective psychological distance from participants
• What is a limitation of participant observations?

  Danger of the researcher identifying too strongly with participants and losing objectivity
• What is a limitation of non-participant observations?

  May lose the valuable insight to be gained in a participant observation
• What are the key differences between naturalistic and controlled observations?

  Naturalistic observations:

  • High external validity as findings can be generalized to everyday life
  • Lack of control over the research situation makes replication difficult
  • Many uncontrolled confounding/extraneous variables

  
  

  Controlled observations:

  • Findings may not be as readily applied to everyday life
  • Confounding/extraneous variables are less of a factor, making replication easier
• What are the key differences between covert and overt observations?

  Covert observations:

  • Removes the problem of demand characteristics
  • Increases internal validity of the data
  • Raises ethical concerns as people may not wish to have their behaviors noted

  
  

  Overt observations:

  • More ethically acceptable
  • Knowledge of being observed may influence participant behavior
• What are the key differences between participant and non-participant observations?

  Participant observations:

  • Researcher can experience the situation as the participants do
  • Increased insight into the lives of the people being studied
  • Danger of the researcher identifying too strongly and losing objectivity

  
  

  Non-participant observations:

  • Researcher maintains an objective psychological distance
  • May lose the valuable insight to be gained in a participant observation
• How do the strengths and limitations of observational methods compare to other research methods?

  Observational methods capture what people actually do, which may be unexpected, but are limited by observer bias and inability to demonstrate causal relationships