Collecting data

Cards (6)

What is observational research?
Observe a situation and record what happens, following privacy guidelines
What is inter-observer reliability?
> Different observers five consistent estimates
> Categories must be clear and well defined
What is tallying?
> Categories need to be clear
> Observers might need to be trained and standardised
Pros
systematic; no info missed, high validity
quantitive; objectively analysed
Cons
low validity; categories may not cover all behaviours
low reliability; poor design of categories
What is event sampling?
> Recording a behaviour every time it happens
> Specific time period
Pros
manageable
useful when behaviour occurs occasionally
Cons
low validity; some behaviours could be missed
low validity; if list is not comprehensive, might not be representative
What is time sampling?
> Making observations at different time intervals
Pros
manageable
useful for researching time-related changes
Cons
some behaviours might be missed
categories must be comprehensive
What is qualitative data?
> Records everything
> Thematic analysis creates behavioural categories
Pros
insight into peoples behaviour
high validity; observe behaviour as it happens
Cons
time consuming
low reliability; cannot replicate