Observational Design

Question 1

explain an unstructured observation?

Answer 1

• produces data that is rich in detail

- appropriate with small group of pp’s

Question 2

explain a structured observation?

Answer 2

• when specific behaviour needs to be targeted it becomes main focus
• researcher can quantify their observations using this technique

Question 3

explain behavioural categories?

Answer 3

• needed to produce a structured record of what researcher sees/ hears
• target behaviours are defined and made observable
• affection= hugging, kissing…
• there should be no need for inferences to be made, categories should be clear

Question 4

explain event sampling?

Answer 4

-counting the number of times a particular behaviour occurs -

Question 5

what are the 2 types of sampling methods?

Answer 5

• event sampling

- time sampling

Question 6

explain time sampling?

Answer 6

• recording behaviour within an established time frame

- eg. what is happening every 5 minutes

Question 7

evaluate structured observations?

Answer 7

+categories make recording of data easier
+produces quantitive data so comparing is easier
-less depth

Question 8

evaluate unstructured observations?

Answer 8

-produces qualitative data, which is more difficult to record and analyse
-risk of observer bias, as behavioural categories are not a feature here
+more in depth data is collected

Question 9

evaluate behavioural categories?

Answer 9

+data collection is structured and objective
-categories need to be
observable and clear, requiring to interpretation
-categories cannot overlap

Question 10

evaluate sampling methods

Answer 10

+useful when behaviour happens infrequently

• observer may miss important behaviour
• reduces number of observations