observations

• types of observations:

  covert or overt

  participant or non participant

  controlled or naturalistic
• naturalistic observation

  strength:

  good ecological validity

  weakness:

  poor control over EV’s
• controlled observation

  strength:

  high internal validity

  weakness:

  low ecological validity
• covert observation

  strength:

  reduced demand characteristics

  weakness:

  unethical
• overt observation

  strength:

  more ethical

  weakness:

  increased demand characteristics
• participant observation

  strength:

  high internal validity

  weakness:

  low levels of objectivity
• non participant observation

  strength:

  more objective

  weakness:

  questioned internal validity
• event sampling: number of times of a particular behaviour
• time sampling: recording behaviour within a pre-established time frame
• event sampling

  strength:

  you record everything

  weakness:

  hard to measure ‘ongoing behaviours’
• time sampling

  strength:

  ongoing behaviours, more accurate

  weakness:

  missing behaviours