OBSERVATIONAL TECHNIQUES

~CONTROLLED OBSERVATION~

→ watching & recording behaviour within a structured environment

+ Strengths

• easy to replicate due to the structured environment

• control over extraneous variables

- Limitations

• less external validity as findings may not be as easily applied to real-life settings

~NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION~

→ watching & recording behaviour in the setting within it would naturally occur

+ Strengths

• high external validity as findings can be generalised to everyday life

- Limitations

• lack of control over extraneous variables

• difficult to replicate the environment

~COVERT OBSERVATION~

→ participants’ behaviour is watched & recorded without their knowledge or consent

+ Strengths

• behaviour is natural which increases the validity of the data

- Limitations

• unethical due to lack of consent

~OVERT OBSERVATION~

→ participants’ behaviour is watched and recorded with their knowledge and consent

+ Strengths

• highly ethical as consent is given

- Limitations

• unnatural behaviour due to the participants knowing that they are being observed

~PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION~

→ the researcher becomes a member of the group whose behaviour they are observing

+ Strengths

• increased validity of findings

- Limitations

• researcher may lose objectivity (line between being a researcher and a participant may become blurred)

~NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION~

→ researcher remains outside the group whose behaviour they are observing

+ Strengths

• researcher can maintain an objective psychological distance from their participants

- Limitations

• researcher may become too far removed from the people they are studying