REVIEWER FOR FIELD METHODS

is a research conducted in a place that the participant or subject perceives as a natural environment.

Field study ( Gravetter)

Not all studies conducted in the field are experiment. (T OR F)

T

is a method that involves observing everyday activities as they happen in a natural setting

Field study ( Jackson )

focuses on methods used by field investigators from the social and behavioral sciences in the collection, management, analysis and presentation of data about human thought and/ or human behavior in the natural world. The data can be qualitative or quantitative, as can be the methods for analysis and presentation.

Field Methods

A place that the participant or subject perceives as a natural environment.

Field setting

Information is accepted as true because it has always been been believed or because superstition supports it.

Methods of tenacity

Based on Superstition (persistence of superstition)

Based on Habit ( belief perseverance )

Characteristics of Method of Tenacity

It is inaccurate ( information is not factual)

It cannot be corrected ( no method for correcting erroneous ideas)

Problem of Method of Tenacity

Information is accepted based on the basis of hunch or “ gut feeling”.

Method of Intuition

Information is accepted based on Intuition” it feels right”

“Gut feeling “

Considered as one of the quickest way to obtain answer.

Characteristics of Method of intuition

No method in separating accurate from inaccurate knowledge.

Problem of Method of intuition.

A person relies on information or answers from an expert in the subject area.

Method of Authority

rely on assumed expertise

Characteristics of Method of Authority

• False information is taken as truth

• Sources are often biased

• Tend to assume that expertise in one area can be generalized to other topics.

Problem of Method of Authority

A variant of the method of authority in which people have unquestioning trust in the authority figure and, therefore, accept information without doubt or challenge.

Method of Faith

Rationalism- Seeks answers by logical reasoning.

Rational Method

Describe facts or assumption that are presumed to be true.

Premise statement

a set of premise statement that are logically combined to yield a conclusion.

Argument

• Conclusion in not necessarily true unless premise statement are factual and valid.

• Not all people are particularly good at logical reasoning.

Limitations of rational method

Uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain knowledge.

Empirical Method

Attempt to answer questions by direct observation or personal experience.

'“ to see is to believe”; it provides an easy , direct way to answer questions.

Characteristics of Empirical Methods

Perceptions can be drastically altered by prior knowledge, expectations, feelings or beliefs

Limitations of Empirical Method

It is a process of investigation to find or produce measurable and reliable results that answer a specific question.

It is a way of acquiring knowledge through formulation of specific question

It is carefully developed to discover accurate answers as possible.

The scientific methods

The process of Scientific Methods

Observation

Questioning

Research

Hypothesis

Experiment

Analysis

Conclusion

Involves using relatively small set of specific observations as the basis for forming a general statement about larger set of possible observations.

Induction “ Inductive Reasoning”

Are characteristics or conditions that change or have different values for different individuals .

Variables

is a statement that describe or explain a relationship between or among variables.

it is not a final answer but rather a proposal to be tested and evaluated.

Hypothesis

Uses a general statement as the basis for reaching a conclusion about specific examples.

Deductive Reasoning

Predictions that are generated from the hypothesis must be …..

TESTABLE

Evaluate the prediction by making …

SYSTEMATIC PLANNED BEHAVIOR

The goal of evaluating prediction is to..

Provide a fair unbiased test of the research

This is where the researcher provide arguments that agree or disagree with the hypothesis and results.

Support, Refute, or Refine Original Hypothesis

Empirical

• Observable

• There is empirical verification

• Structured and systematic

Public

• can be evaluated by other scientists

• Published

repetition of observations that allows verification of findings

Replication

Objective

• Researchers biases and beliefs do not influence the outcome of the study.

3 important principles of Scientific Methods

• empirical

• public

• objective

A system of ideas often presented as science but actually lacking some of the key components that are essential to scientific research.

Pseudoscience

T or F, In pseudoscience, the typical response to negative results is to discount them entirely or to explain them away without altering the original theory.

T

pseudoscience tends to rely on subjective evidence, such as testimonials and anecdotal reports of success. It tends to focus on a few selected examples of success and ignore instances of failure.

True

Pseudoscience tends to ignore non-supporting evidence and treats criticism as a personal attack. This results in a stagnant theory that remains unchanged year after year.

True

pseudoscience tends to create entirely new disciplines and techniques that are unconnected to established theories and empirical evidence.

true.

making observations in a systematic manner

• Aids in refusing or developing a theory in order to test hypothesis.

systematic empiricism

Presenting research to the public so that it can be observed, replicated, criticized and tested.

• Aids in determining the veracity of a theory.

Publicly verifiable

Stating questions in such a way that they are answerable by means of currently available research techniques.

• Aids in determining whether a theory can potentially be tested using empirical techniques and whether it is falsifiable.

Empirically solvable

What research methods when the goal met is DESCRIPTION

• Observational method

• Case study method

• Survey Method

What are the research methods when the goal met is PREDICTION

• Correlational method

• Quasi-experimental method

What is the research method when the goal met is EXPLAINATION

Experimental method

Definition of Unobtrusive measures

• Behaviors observed indirectly through records or evidence

• No researcher intervention; individuals are unaware of being observed.

ADVANTAGES OF UNOBTRUSIVE MEASURES

• Nonreactive

• provides valuable data that can confirm or challenge direct observations

• important in multi-method research approach.

People cannot change their behavior due to observation.

Nonreactive

What are the types of unobtrusive measures

• Physical traces

• Archival Records

Remnants, fragments, or products of past behaviors

Physical traces

Physical evidence from item use or nonuse

use traces

traces that has no intervention by researchers

Natural-use traces

Traces result from research intervention

Controlled- use traces

Artifacts of behavior is called

Products

Public and private documents that described activities of individuals, groups, or governments.

Archival records

Categories of Archival records

• Running records

• Episodic records

A record that is continuously updated ( grades, sports score)

Running records

A record of specific events ( birth certificates, marriages cert)

Episodic records

Uses of archival records

• Test hypothesis as part of the multi- method approach

• Established external validity of lab findings

• Assess effects of natural treatments.

PROBLEMS WITH ARCHIVAL RECORDS

• Selective Deposit

• Selective Survival

• Spurious Relationship

Archival record problem that only some information is stored

Selective Deposit

Archival record problem that is missing or incomplete records

Selective Survival

Archival record problem that has false associations between variables due to unrelated factors

Spurious Relationship

The primary goal of observation method is to?

Observe behavior

It aims to describe the behavior fully and accurately, through observing ‘samples of people’s behavior.

Observational method

T or F: Behavior often changes depending on the situation or context in which the behavior occurs.

T

Provides a why organismrich source of hypotheses about behavior, and can be a first step in discovering s behave as they do.

Observation

Conducted when a complete record of behavior cannot be obtained.

Sampling behavior

is used to represent the larger population of all possible behaviors.

Sample

are like larger population from which they are drawn

representative sample.

refers to researchers choosing time intervals for making observations either systematically or randomly.

Time sampling

are used when conducting time sampling, interval may be selected systematically, randomly or both.

time intervals

can be used in the same situation by distributing four 30 minute periods randomly over the course of the day.

random time sampling techniques

are used to notify/signal observers to observe behavior.

Electronic pagers

acoustic log of a person’s daily activities

Electronically activated recording device (ear)

Systematic and random time sampling procedures are often not combined. T or F

F

Goal of Time sampling is to..

Obtain a sample of behavior that will represent an organism’s usual behavior.

Time sampling is not an effective method for sampling behavior when the event of interest occurs infrequently. T or F

T

Involves studying behavior in different locations and under different circumstances and conditions.

• It enhances the external validity of findings

• Used to observe only some individuals in the setting.

Situation sampling

refers to researchers effort to change or create the context for observation.

Intervention

The goal of naturalistic observation is …

• to describe the behavior as it normally occurs

• examine the relationships among variables.

is a type of direct observation of behavior in a natural setting without any attempt by the observer to intervene.

Naturalistic Observation

The three methods of observation with intervention

• participants

• structured

• field experiment

Observation with intervention are often used by

Clinical and developmental psychologists.

Allows researchers to observe behaviors that are not usually open to scientific observation.

Participant observation

observation that are set up to record behaviors that may be difficult to observe using naturalistic observation.

Structured observation

Disadvantage of Observation with intervention

Reactivity

occurs when observers who play a dual role; either they observe people’s behavior and they participate actively in the situation they are observing

Participant observation

It is when individual who are being observed know that the observer is present for the purpose of collecting information about their behavior.

• Used frequently by anthropologist who study culture and behaviors of groups or tribes.

undisguised participant observation

Occurs when those who are being observed do not know that they are being observed.

Disguised participant observation

Disguised participant observation raises ethical issues that must be addressed prior to implementing the study,

Privacy and informed consent

occurs when people react to the fact they are being observed by changing their normal behavior

Reactivity

Disadvantage of participant observation

The observer can influence the behavior of people being studied.

Occurs when the researcher intervene to exert some control over the events they are observing

• may be arranged in a natural setting, or in a laboratory setting.

structured observation

may play an important part in producing the behavior under observation

Uncontrolled, Unknown variable

occurs when people fail to notice new and distinctive stimuli in their environment, particularly when attention is focused elsewhere, such as cell phone conversation.

Inattentional blindness

Occurs when a researcher manipulate one or more independent variables in a natural setting in order to determine the effect on behavior.

• It represents the most extreme form of intervention in observational methods

• exert more control when they manipulate an independent variable

• usually used in social psychology.

Field Experiment