observations

• Naturalistic observations take place where they usually would, with people being less likely to change their behaviour in this environment.
• Naturalistic observations have high external validity, but participants can't give informed consent due to ethical considerations.
• Controlled observations have some aspects controlled, allowing the researcher to control variables and achieve high internal validity and high replicability.
• In covert observations, participants are unaware, making them less likely to change their behaviour and reducing participant reactivity.
• Overt observations require participants to know they are being observed, allowing them to give informed consent and potentially influencing their behaviour.
• Design is a crucial aspect of observations, with various ways to record data including unstructured observation, structured observations, and non-participant observation.
• Unstructured observation involves the observer writing down everything, a form of continuous sampling.
• Structured observations focus on the behaviour as the main focus, using time sampling.
• Quantitative data can be collected in observations, but observer bias may be present due to the use of checklists.
• Time sampling and event sampling may miss certain behaviours.
• Behaviour categories are referred to in observations, with the target behaviour to be studied needing to be precisely defined and made observable and measurable.
• Sampling methods in observations include event sampling, which involves counting the number of times a particular behaviour occurs in a target group, and time sampling, which involves recording behaviour with a pre-established time frame.
• Evaluations of observations in observations record what participants do, not why they do it, allowing for the capture of spontaneous and unexpected behaviour.
• Observations can be conducted without thoughts, making them objective and allowing for multiple researchers to make a comparison.