Chapter 3

• Archival study


  A descriptive method in which already existing records are reexamined for a new purpose.
• Case study


  The descriptive record of an individual's experiences, behaviors, or both kept by an outside observer.
• Deviant case analysis


  A form of case study in which deviant individuals are compared with those who are not to identify the significant differences between them.
• Empirical phenomenology

  • Contemporary phenomenology that relies on the researcher's own experiences, experiential data provided by study participants, or other available sources such as literature or popular media.
  • A qualitative approach.
• External validity


  How well the findings of an experiment generalize or apply to people and settings that were not tested directly.
• Field study


  A non experimental research method used in the field or in a real-life setting, typically employing a variety of techniques, including naturalistic observation and unobtrusive measures or survey tools, such as questionnaires and interviews.
• Focus group

  • A type of group interview.
  • It is an organized discussion session with a small group of people.
  • Usually led by a trained facilitator.
• Internal validity


  The certainty that the changes in behavior observed across treatment conditions were actually caused by differences in treatments.
• Naturalistic observation


  A descriptive, non experimental method of observing behaviors as they occur spontaneously in natural settings.
• Paradigm

  The set of attitudes, values, beliefs, methods, and procedures that are generally accepted within a particular discipline at a certain point in time.
• Participant-observer study

  A special kind of field observation in which the researcher actually becomes part of the group being studied.
• Phenomenology

  A non experimental method of gathering data by attending to and describing one's own immediate experience.
• Qualitative research

  • Research that relies on words rather than numbers for the data being collected.
  • It focuses on self-reports, personal narratives, and expression of ideas, memories, feelings, and thoughts.
• Reactivity

  The tendency of subjects to alter their behavior or responses when they are aware of the presence of an observer
• Retrospective data

  • Data collected in the present based on recollections of past events.
  • Apt to be inaccurate because of faulty memory, bias, mood and situation.
• Systematic observation

  • A system for recording observations.
  • Each observation is recorded using specific rules or guidelines, so observations are more objective.
• Unobtrusive measure

  • A procedure used to assess subjects' behaviors without their knowledge.
  • Used to obtain more objective data.