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Observational techniques; - Coggle Diagram
Observational techniques;
Naturalistic vs Controlled observations;
Naturalistic observations; Are conducted in the real world location where the behaviour being studied takes place.
Would lead to natural participant behaviour, this is good because, you can see what people do rather than what they say. High validity
Controlled observation; Are conducted under lab conditions, often involving a researchers setting up a situation for the participants to interact with.
Leads to similar results if repeated again, showing reliability of the results/method of research.
Participant vs Non-participant Observations;
Participant observations; Involves the researcher becoming part of the group being observed. They can record the data openly (overt) or covertly (eg; with cameras or when alone).
Most likely to have researcher bias, as they know what they want to find, so may influence the others to act/say certain things.
Non-participant observations; When the researcher is observing from outside the group being observed.
This method makes it easier for the researcher to record data, as they can re-go over things and don't run the risk of missing important things.
Covert vs Overt observations;
Covert observation; An observation in which the participants do not know they are being observed.
Will produce the most natural participant behaviour, as they are unaware they are being observed, so less likely to show demand characteristics and/or social desirability bias.
Overt observation; An observation in which the participants are aware that they are being studied.
More ethical observation, as they are aware they are being observed and can then give informed consent.
Observational design;
Behavioural categories;
Before starting the observation the researcher decides which behaviour is relevant to the research question and sets up a tally chart to record it. This consists of different categories of target behaviour that the researcher ticks when they see it occurring.
Data extraction;
Event sampling; The observed watches for the target behaviour in the sample and simply records all instances of the behaviour in the appropriate column. More likely to see all instances of desired behaviour as they are there the whole time.
Time sampling; The observer watches and records all the occurrences of relevant behaviour at set, or randomly set time intervals. May miss certain behaviours, which could affect the results.