observational methods (8)

quantitative and qualitative

two general approaches to observing people/organisms

qualitative

observational approach involving verbal descriptions of behaviour

specific behaviours in mind, interpretations

qualitative approach: no __________; investigator offers __________

quantitative

observational approach involving measurements of behaviour

behaviours of interest, statistics

quantitative approach: focus on __________; interpretations come from __________

field work

naturalistic observation is sometimes called __________

field notes, audio/video recordings

naturalistic observation involves detailed descriptions via __________ or __________

interpretive, ideas, prior hypotheses

naturalistic observation is __________, generates __________, and involves no __________

participation, concealment

2 issues associated with naturalistic observation

paticipation

issue with naturalistic observation: whether to immerse oneself in the setting or remain an outside observer

concealment

issue with naturalistic observation: whether to reveal or conceal one’s identity on purpose

reactivity

alteration of observed behaviours due to the presence of the researcher

rosenhan’s psych ward experiment, jane goodall

2 examples of naturalistic observation studies

high external validity, ability to study complex relationships

2 advantages of naturalistic observation

cannot control variables, costly, time consuming

3 disadvantages of naturalistic observation

systematic observation

observational method in a natural setting with prior hypotheses specified

quantitative, coding system

systematic observation uses a mostly __________ approach (i.e. a __________)

reactivity, habituation period, sampling methods, interrater reliability if scored live

methodological issues with systematic observation (4)

continuous, time-sampling

2 possible sampling methods for systematic observation

coding system

systematic method of defining and classifying behaviours for observation

case study

detailed description of a single individual, usually with a rare or note-worthy condition

qualitative, speculative, ideas for study

case studies use a mostly __________ approach, and are __________, meaning they suggest __________

cannot generalize observations, requires replication

2 limitations of case studies

psychobiography

type of case study in which the life of a (usually famous) person is explained to support a psychological theory

archival research

uses previous compiled data to answer research questions

police records, town hall statistics, archived survey results, statistics canada, mass media

5 examples of archival research sources