Lesson 9: Observational Design

• What is observation design in research?

  How the researcher intends to record data
• What is unstructured observation?

  Researcher writes down everything they see
• What is a strength of unstructured observation?

  Produces accounts rich in detail
• When is unstructured observation appropriate?

  When observations are small scale with few participants
• What is a limitation of unstructured observation?

  Produces qualitative data that is hard to analyze
• What is a risk associated with unstructured observations?

  Greater risk of observer bias
• Why might a researcher miss important behaviors in unstructured observations?

  They may only record behaviors that catch their eye
• What is a strength of structured observations?

  Makes recording data easier and systematic
• What type of data do structured observations produce?

  Quantitative data
• How do behavioral categories function in structured observations?

  They simplify target behaviors for focus
• What must target behaviors be in behavioral categories?

  Observable and measurable
• Why should categories in behavioral observations be exclusive?

  To avoid overlap in recorded behaviors
• What is continuous recording in unstructured observations?

  Recording all instances of a target behavior
• What is a limitation of continuous recording?

  Not practical for complex behaviors
• What is time sampling in observations?

  Recording behavior within a pre-established time frame
• What is a strength of time sampling?

  Reduces the number of observations needed
• What is a limitation of time sampling?

  May produce unrepresentative behavior samples
• What is event sampling?

  Counting occurrences of a specific behavior
• What is a strength of event sampling?

  Useful for infrequent target behaviors
• What is a limitation of event sampling?

  Observer may overlook important details