Observations

• An observation is where a researcher observes and records what they see
• Naturalistic observations is watching and recording behaviour in a natural environment
• Whats an advantage of a naturalistc observation?

  • High ecological validity
  • Findings can be generalised to real behaviour
• Whats a disadvantage of a naturalistic observtion?

  • Cant be replicable
• A controlled observation is watching and recording behaviour within a structured envirnoment
• Whats an advantage of controlled observation?

  • Easier to replicte due to control variables
• Whats a disadvantage of controlled observation?

  • Unnatural environment so behaviour is less natural
• Covert observations are where the p's are unaware they are being observed
• Overt observations are where the p's are aware they are being observed
• Whats an advantage of overt observations

  possible to get consent
• Whats a disadvantage of an overt observation

  participants change their behaviour through socail desriability
• Whats an advantage of a covert observation

  behaviour is natural
• What is a disadvantage of a covert observation

  cant get consent if they are unaware
• Participant observations are where the researcher becomes part of the group whose behaviour is being observed
• Non-participant observation is when the researcher does not take part in the study but observes the behaviour of the participants
• Whats an advantage of participant observations?

  getting more in-depth data as close to the p's
• Whats a disadvantage of participant observations?

  researchers being oart if the group could effect their objectivity
• whats a disadvantage of non-participant observations


  researchers may not gain as much infomations or could miss behaviours
• whats an advantage of non-participant observations

  researchers are more objective
• A structured observation is where systems are used to orgainse observations
• An unstructured observation is where everything which happens is recorded
• Whats a disadvantage of a structured observation

  important information may be missed if it does not fit inot a category
• whats an advantage of a structured observation


  makes recording of data easier and can replicate it
• whats an advantage of an unstructued observation

  its in a lot of detail
• whats an disadvantage of an unstructued observation

  may be too much to record so greater risl of researcher bias
• Time sampling is when the researcher records the behaviour of participants over a caertain period of time ,for example, every 2 minutes for 10 minutes
• Event sampling is where a tally is made for every time a certain behaviour is displayed in one of the pre-determined categories
• Observer bias is an issue with validity whihc means that the observer is looking out for certain behaviours. This can be rediced by having more than one observer , using double blind technique
• Issues with coding systems ,for example, missing out behavioural categories can be reduced by pilotting the observatio and tweaking the categories