A target behaviour is identified and the observer records it every time it occurs
Time sampling
A way of sampling the behaviour that is being observed by recording what happens in a series of fixed time intervals
Strengths: Event sampling
Researchers can clearly see the total number of behaviours for each event, making analysis extremely quick and easy, especially when looking for most or least common behaviours
More reliable observations as the events are already planned, therefore it could be easily replicated to measure consistency of observational behaviours
Limitations: Event sampling
Can miss important behaviours due to having set events already planned, other behaviours not considered are missed – reducing validity
It gives no indication of the amount of time spent on each behavioural category, therefore it can sometimes lead to less valid conclusions about behaviour
Strengths: Time sampling
Less likely to miss behaviours as the researcher usually has a short time to focus on recording behaviour, therefore is more likely to be accurate
It can give an indication of how much time is spent on each behaviour
Limitations: Time sampling
Behaviours that occur outside the time intervals are not accounted for, therefore may reduce validity as important behaviours may be missed
