Observational techniques Flashcards
Importance of observation
- Provide psychologists a way of seeing what people do without asking
- study observable behavior within natural/controlled setting
- allows flexibility to study complex interactions between variables
Naturalistic observations
Watching + recording behavior in setting within which it would normally occur
* more natural behavior on display
* e.g. studying employees in factory - doesn’t make sense to move them to lab to study behavior
Controlled observations
Watching + recording behavior within a strutured environment - i.e. some variables are changed
* Ainsworth’s Strange situation - specially designed playroom environment + use of 2-way mirror to record behavior
* some control variables + control of confounding/extraneous variables
Cover Observation
Ps behavior is watched + recorded without their knowledge/consent
* unaware of focus of study
* behavior observed in secret
* behavior must be public + happening anyway = to be ethical
Overt Observations
Ps behavior is watched + recorded with their knowledge + consent
* informed consent beforehand
* know behavior is being observed
Participant Observations
Researcher becomes member of group whose behavior they are watching + recording
* experiencing it first hand
Non Participant observations
Researcher remains outside of the grp whose behavior they are watching + recording
* behavior recorded in more objective manner
* Impractical/impossible to join grps - only option left
Eval: All observations
strength
- capturing what people actually do - unexpected
- People do not act the same as they say they would
- special insight into behavior
Limitation
* observer bias - interpretation of situation affected by expectations - reduced by using more observers
* cannot demonstrate causual relationships
Eval: Naturalistic Ob
- high external validity = generalised to everyday life - studied in environment where behavior normally occurs
Limitation:
* lack of control over research situation = replication difficult
* uncontrolled confounding/extraneuos variables = diff to judge any pattern of behavior
Eval: Controlled Ob
- produce findings that cannot be as readily applied to everyday life
- Confounding/extraneous variables - less of a factor = replication easier
Eval: Covert ob
- Removes demand characteristics
- ensures behavior observed = natural
- Incs internal validity
Limitation:
* Ethics - even in public some don’t want behaviors noted down (right to privacy)
* e.g. shopping - public activity VS what they buy - private activity
Eval: Overt ob
- more ethically acceptable
- BUT as participants know they are being observed = significant influence on their behavior
Eval: Participant ob
- researcher experiences the same situation as the pps do = inc insight into those being studied
Limitation:
* researcher may come to identify too strongly = lose objectivity
* the line between researcher + ps becomes too blurred
Eval: non-participant ob
- allow researcher to maintain an objective psychological distance from ps = less danger of adopting lifestyle
Limitation:
* lose valuable insight to be gained = too far removed from the people + behavior they are studying
