Observational Techniques

Question 1

What are observations

Answer 1

involve watching and recording behaviour
are naturalistic but can occur in controlled conditions

Question 2

What are the advantages of observations

Answer 2

often have high external validity as they occur in natural setting and Pp behave naturally

practical method to use where deliberate manipulation of variables would be unethical/impractical

useful when studying animals and children

Question 3

What are the disadvantages of observations

Answer 3

may be difficult to study the cause and effect properly as variables are not manipulated, only observed

may be observer bias where the observers see what they want to see

lack of control over variables reduced reliability and it can be difficult to categorise behaviour accurately

Question 4

What are the 6 types of observations

Answer 4

Naturalistic
Controlled
Participant
Non-participant
Overt
Covert

Question 5

What are controlled observations

Answer 5

behaviour is observed in a structured setting.
a task of situation is set up for Pp making it an artificial setting rather than naturalistic
may be a videotape or one way mirror to gather data
observation schedule is created

Question 6

Evaluate controlled observations

Answer 6

highly controlled in a lab setting so extraneous variables can be controlled/eliminated which makes it high in reliability as they can be replicated
HOWEVER
due to the staged situation, natural behaviour is not measured in a realistic way which limits the generalisability of the findings to real life situations

Question 7

What are Naturalistic observations

Answer 7

takes place in the Pp natural setting/environment rather than an artificial one
no manipulation of the variables or environment from the observer

Question 8

Evaluate Naturalistic observations

Answer 8

high in validity as they take place in a natural environment and observe Pp naturally occurring behaviour, making it a true representation of a Pp real behaviour
HOWEVER
hard to control extraneous variables as they take place in a Pp natural environment so this lowers reliability as they are harder to replicate successfully

Question 9

What are Participant observations

Answer 9

the observer becomes part of the situation and becomes a participant in the observation by participating in what is going on
- Pp not always aware that the observer is apart of them

Question 10

Evaluate Participant observations

Answer 10

gathers valid data as the setting is natural as well as the behaviour; as the observer is involved they will be able to observe things that non-participant observations may miss so they have access to additional data
HOWEVER
observes may become too involved in the situation, that they are not able to step back and make observations; leads their work to either lack required detail or become biased from their subjective comments

Question 11

What are Non-participant observations

Answer 11

observer is not apart of the situation and observes what is going on from an outsider point of view

Question 12

Evaluate Non-participant observations

Answer 12

recording data is easier as observer can make notes throughout the observation; can also remain objective as they are not part of the group making results more valid
HOWEVER
can have low validity as the presence of observer may make Pp behaviour unnatural, leading to demand characteristics

Question 13

What are Overt observations

Answer 13

when Pp are aware they are being observed

Question 14

Evaluate Overt observations

Answer 14

more ethical as the observer does not have to deceive Pp and can follow specific individuals without being disguised
HOWEVER
as Pp know they are being observed it may cause them to act unnatural/accordingly which produces demand characteristics, decreasing the validity of data collected

Question 15

What are Covert observations

Answer 15

Pp are unaware that they are being observed

Question 16

Evaluate Covert observations

Answer 16

Pp are less likely to be affected by demand characteristics making their behaviour more natural which improves the validity of the data collected
HOWEVER
unethical as Pp are unaware they are taking part in an observation; there is no informed consent or right to withdrawal and Pp may become distressed when discovering they were observed secretly

Question 17

How can you reduce observer bias

Answer 17

use inter-observer reliability where independent observers code the behaviour in the same way and agree on data - easier when behaviour categories are clear

Question 18

What are behavioural categories

Answer 18

involve dividing target behaviours into subsets of behaviours through the use of coding systems
the categories should reflect what is being studied and they would be precise so all observers can use them

Question 19

Why would you use behaviour categories

Answer 19

it is easier and less time consuming to code behaviours rather than writing long descriptions
breaking behaviours down helps to collect it

Question 20

What two types of sampling can be used

Answer 20

Event sampling - observer counts the number of times a behaviour occurs
Time sampling - observer counts the number of times a behaviour occurs in a specific timeframe

Question 21

How can observations be improved

Answer 21

using additional observers which would increase inter-observer reliability as results can be compared to ensure there is a correlation, improving accuracy of collected data