Non-Experimental Methods: Observations

Question 1

● What is a controlled observation?

Answer 1

An observation in a controlled environment

Question 2

● What is a naturalistic observation?

Answer 2

Observing behaviour in a natural setting

Question 3

● What is a covert observation?

Answer 3

Participants are unaware they are being observed

Question 4

● What is an overt observation?

Answer 4

Participants know they are being observed

Question 5

● What is a participant observation?

Answer 5

The researcher is involved with the group

Question 6

● What is a non-participant observation?

Answer 6

The researcher observes from a distance

Question 7

● What type of observation has high ecological validity?

Answer 7

Naturalistic observation

Question 8

● What type of observation has high reliability?

Answer 8

Controlled observation

Question 9

● What type of observation may raise ethical issues?

Answer 9

Covert observation

Question 10

● What is meant by ecological validity?

Answer 10

The ability to generalise findings to real life

Question 11

● What is a key strength of overt observations?

Answer 11

Participants can give informed consent

Question 12

● What is a key limitation of overt observations?

Answer 12

Prone to demand characteristics

Question 13

● What is the observer doing in participant observation?

Answer 13

Becoming part of the group

Question 14

● What is the observer doing in non-participant observation?

Answer 14

Watching without involvement

Question 15

● Why are covert observations less prone to demand characteristics?

Answer 15

Participants don’t know they are being watched

Question 16

● What is one strength of controlled observations?

Answer 16

They can be easily repeated

Question 17

● What is one limitation of naturalistic observations?

Answer 17

Hard to replicate

Question 18

● What is one strength of non-participant observations?

Answer 18

Less chance of researcher bias

Question 19

● What is one limitation of participant observations?

Answer 19

Greater risk of researcher bias

Question 20

● What ethical issue is raised by covert observation?

Answer 20

Lack of informed consent

Question 21

▲ Why might a naturalistic observation be less reliable?

Answer 21

Environment is uncontrolled

Question 22

▲ Why are controlled observations more respected?

Answer 22

They can be repeated to check for consistent results

Question 23

▲ In what setting would a covert observation be most ethical?

Answer 23

Where behaviour is public

Question 24

▲ Why might overt observation reduce internal validity?

Answer 24

Participants may change behaviour when watched

Question 25

▲ Why is informed consent difficult in covert observations?

Answer 25

Participants don't know they are part of a study

Question 26

▲ How can a participant observation increase internal validity?

Answer 26

Researcher gets in-depth understanding

Question 27

▲ Why might non-participant observation improve objectivity?

Answer 27

Researcher observes without involvement

Question 28

▲ What is the main benefit of high ecological validity?

Answer 28

Findings are more generalisable

Question 29

▲ What is a limitation of using naturalistic observations for rare behaviours?

Answer 29

The behaviour might not occur

Question 30

▲ Why might a researcher choose controlled over naturalistic observation?

Answer 30

To ensure consistency across participants

Question 31

▲ Why is overt observation less ethical than covert?

Answer 31

It isn't—covert raises more ethical concerns

Question 32

▲ How does researcher bias affect participant observations?

Answer 32

The researcher may interpret behaviours subjectively

Question 33

▲ Why might participants behave unnaturally in overt observations?

Answer 33

They know they're being observed

Question 34

▲ Why are participant observations difficult to replicate?

Answer 34

Involvement varies and context is less standardised

Question 35

▲ How might non-participant observations reduce validity?

Answer 35

May miss subtle group behaviours

Question 36

✪ Why is internal validity lower in naturalistic observations?

Answer 36

There is less control over extraneous variables

Question 37

✪ Why do controlled observations lack ecological validity?

Answer 37

The setting is artificial and not representative of real life

Question 38

✪ Why might a covert participant observation be criticised ethically?

Answer 38

Participants are unaware and cannot consent

Question 39

✪ How does observer bias threaten internal validity in participant observations?

Answer 39

The observer may interpret data to fit expectations

Question 40

✪ Why are overt observations prone to demand characteristics?

Answer 40

Participants may alter behaviour due to awareness of observation

Question 41

✪ Why might a controlled observation be considered more scientific?

Answer 41

It allows replication and control of variables

Question 42

✪ What is the trade-off between ecological validity and control in observations?

Answer 42

High control reduces ecological validity, high realism reduces reliability

Question 43

✪ Why is it important to consider consent in observational research?

Answer 43

To uphold ethical standards and protect participants

Question 44

✪ Why are naturalistic observations high in ecological validity but low in reliability?

Answer 44

Real-life settings make behaviour generalisable but hard to replicate

Question 45

✪ How might participant observation affect the neutrality of the researcher?

Answer 45

Involvement may lead to biased interpretations