observation

• what is a naturalistic observation?

  -observation that occurs in a natural setting without any manipulation or control of the situation
• what are the strengths of naturalistic observations?

  1. good ecological validity
  2. allows research into sensitive areas
• what is a weakness of naturalistic observations?

  1. lack of control over extraneous variables
• what is a controlled observation?

  -attempts to control certain variables
• what is a strength of controlled observations?

  -control over extraneous variables
• what are the weaknesses of controlled observations?

  1. lack of ecological validity
  2. bias- researchers assumptions shape what is studied
• what is a non-participant observation?

  -observer does not interact with the being people being observed but observes them from a distance
• what is a strength of non-participant observations?

  1. easier to remain detached
• what are the weaknesses of non-participant observations?

  1. difficult to understand reasons for behaviour
  2. bias- people can change their behaviour as they know they are being observed
• what is a participant observation?

  -where the observer joins the group to be observed
• what is a strength of participant observations?

  1. better understanding of behaviour
• what are the weaknesses of participant observations?

  1. observer may become less objective
  2. may be more difficult to record data
  3. may be unethical
• what is a disclosed (overt) observation?

  the observer reveals to the observed that they are there and obtains permission to observe
• what is a strength of disclosed observations?

  -avoids ethical problems
• what is a weakness of disclosed observations?

  -they may change their behaviour due to knowing they are being watched
• what is a undisclosed (covert) observation?

  the observer does not let the observed know that they are being observed
• what is a strength of an undisclosed observation?

  behaviour is more likely to be natural, giving a more accurate representation of normal behaviour
• what is a weakness of disclosed observations?

  -it raises ethical problems involving consent
• sampling procedures:

  another way in which observations can be organised is to measure how often a behaviour occurs in a given time period
• what is event sampling?

  -the researcher records how many times a particular piece of behaviour in a given time period is shown
• what is time sampling?

  -everything a person is doing is recorded a given time intervals
• how to reduce observer bias?

  1. defining behaviour precisely
  2. using a checklist- makes recording easier
  3. using more than one observer- increases reliability
  4. double blind procedure- reduces bias