Observational design

What is one way to do a structured observation

By using behavioural categories - target behaviours should be defined and observable

What is event sampling

Counting the number of times a particular behaviour has occurred

What is time sampling

Recording behaviour within a pre-established time frame

What is a strength of structured observations

It is more systematic, data produced is normally numerical which is easy to compare and analyse

What is a strength and limitation of unstructured observations

S: Provide more rich in depth data

L: Observer bias

How should behavioural categories be determined

Should be clearly defined, observable, measurable, and no overlaps

Strength and limitation of event sampling

S: Useful when target behaviour happens infrequently

L: If the event is too complex the observer may overlook important details

Strength and limitation of time sampling

S: Reducing the number of observations having to be made

L: The instances where behaviour is sampled may be unrepresentative of observation as a whole