Observation Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is Naturalistic observation ?
Takes place where the target behaviour would usually occur
What is an advantage of Naturalistic observation ?
High external validity , in a natural context behaviour is more likely to be spontaneuous so therfore more generalisable to every day life
What is a disadvantage of Naturalistic observation ?
There is low control , there may be uncontrolled control variables and extraneous variables which makes it difficult to detect patterns
What is controlled observation ?
Some control / manipulation of variables including CVs and EVs
What is a advantage of controlled observation ?
Can be easily repeated due to standardised procedures
What is a disadvantage of controlled observation ?
May have low external validity , behaviour may be contrived as a result of the setting meaning findings cannot be applied to everyday experience
What is a covert observation ?
Participant unaware they are being studied
What is an advantage of covert observation ?
Reducing of demand characteristics , behaviour more natural so increase of internal validity
What is a disadvantage of covert observation ?
Ethical issues , participants may not want there behaviour to be recorded especially in public , this means there right to privacy is affected
What is overt observation ?
Participant aware they are being studied
What is an advantage of overt observation ?
More ethically acceptable , particiapnts have given consent and have right to withdraw if they wish
What is a disadvantage of overt observation ?
Demand characteristics , the knowledge of being studied may influence there behaviour and this reduces internal validity
What is participant observation ?
The researcher becomes part of the group they are studying
What is an advantage of participant observation ?
greater insight beacuse the researcher experiences same situation as participants , this leads to increased external validity
What is a disadvantage of participant observation ?
Loss of objectivity , the researcher may identify to strongly with those they are studying , this threatens internal validity and objectivity of findings .
What is a non participant observation ?
Researcher remains seperate from the group they are studying
What are behavioural categories and what is a disadvantage of them ?
Target behaviour should be broken down into a list of observable categories
one disadvantage is that they are difficult to make cleaar and ambiguos
What is event sampling
Target behaviour is recorded every time it happens
What is an advantage and disadvantage of event sampling ?
Useful for infrequent behaviours , but complex behaviour can be oversimplified as important behaviours may be ignored
What is time sampling ?
Observations made at regular intervals ?
