Observations

• What is the definition of observation in research?

  Researchers watching and recording behaviour as it happens
• What are the two main types of observation researchers can choose from?

  Controlled and naturalistic observation
• What is a controlled observation?

  Participants experience a controlled situation in a lab
• What is an advantage of controlled observations?

  Reduces effects of extraneous variables
• What is a major weakness of controlled observations?

  The environment is artificial, affecting behaviour
• What is a naturalistic observation?

  Participants are observed in their normal environment
• What is an advantage of naturalistic observations?

  High realism and external validity
• What is a weakness of naturalistic observations?

  Lack of control may introduce extraneous variables
• What is the difference between overt and covert observation?

  Overt: participants know they are observed; covert: they do not
• What is a key ethical guideline for overt observation?

  Participants must give informed consent
• What is a weakness of overt observation?

  Participants may change behaviour due to awareness
• What is a benefit of covert observation?

  Participants behave naturally without awareness
• What is a major ethical concern with covert observation?

  Participants do not give informed consent
• What are the two types of observational techniques mentioned?

  Participant and non-participant observation
• What is a participant observation?

  Researcher becomes involved in the group being studied
• What is an advantage of participant observation?

  Researcher gains first-hand knowledge and rapport
• What is a risk of participant observation?

  Researcher may lose objectivity and become biased
• What is a non-participant observation?

  Researcher records the group without becoming part of it
• What is an advantage of non-participant observation?

  Increases objectivity in data collection
• What is a weakness of non-participant observation?

  May miss important findings due to distance
• What are operationalised behavioural categories?

  • Clearly defining a variable for objective measurement
  • Example: Observing aggressive behaviour by counting punches, pushes, and kicks
  • Helps in creating a frequency chart for recording
• What is time sampling in observational research?

  Recording behaviour at set intervals during observation
• What is event sampling in observational research?

  Recording all behaviour from a list of categories
• What is a limitation of time sampling?

  Important behaviour may be missed outside recording periods
• What is a limitation of event sampling?

  May require many observers to accurately record behaviour
• What is inter-rater reliability?

  Using two researchers to compare observation results
• How do researchers assess inter-rater reliability?

  By comparing data sets for similarity after observation
• What correlation value do researchers expect for reliable results?

  A correlation of 0.8 or higher