observation Flashcards
(22 cards)
what are observational techniques
a way of seeing or listening to people without having to ask them - often used to assess the DV
+/- observations
capture what peoples actions are
risk of observer bias
types of observational techniques ( 6 )
naturalistic
controlled
covert
overt
participant observation
non-participant observation
naturalistic observation
observation that takes place where the target behaviour would usually occur
controlled observation
observation that has some control over variables
covert observation
observation where pps are unaware they are being studied
overt observation
observation where pps are aware they arebeing studied
participant observation
observation where researcher becomes part of group being studied
non-particiapant observation
observation where researcher remains separate from the group being studied
+/- naturalistic
high external validity
low control over variables
+/- controlled
can easily be replicated
may have low external validity
+/- covert
demand characteristics are reduced
ethically questionable
+/- overt
ethically acceptable
demand charactristics
+/- participant observation
provides greater insight
possible loss of objective - naïve, bias
+/- non participant observation
more objective - no identification/bias
loss of insight
observational design ( 3 )
behavioural categories
event sampling
time sampling
behavioural categorues
target behaviour broken up and categorized
event sampling
target behaviour / event is recorded every time it occurs
time sampling
observations are made in regular intervals i.e every 15 seconds
- behavioural categories
difficult to make clear
not all behaviours recorded
+/- event sampling
useful for infrequent behaviours
complex behaviours oversimplified
+/- time sampling
reduces number of observations
unrepresentative - not reflecting all behaviour
