Observations

Question 1

What is non participant observation

Answer 1

• observing the participants without actively participating or interacting
  -merely watching or listening

Question 2

What is Participant observation

Answer 2

• ## the observer is part of the group being observed and is immersed in the day to day activities

Question 3

Strengths and weaknesses of non participant observation

Answer 3

+ observers are more likely to be objective as they aren’t part of the group
- observers may not gain as much of in depth information

Question 4

Strengths and weaknesses of participant observation

Answer 4

+ researcher can get in depth data as they are close to the participants, therefore it’s unlikely to miss any behaviour
- pts observations are more likely to be overt as pts know they are being observed leading to social desirability (seen in a better light) or demand characteristics (fit in with the expectations)
C- if covert, the research lacks consent and privacy which leads to ethical issues

Question 5

What is time sampling

Answer 5

• recording behaviour within a pre established time frame

Question 6

What is event sampling

Answer 6

Observing a particular behaviour and recording it every time it occurs

Question 7

Strength and weakness of structured observation

Answer 7

+easy to test for reliability
+the data is easy to analyse because its quantitative
-spontaneous behaviour that hasn’t been observed can’t be noted down
-so internal validity is decreased

Question 8

Strength and weaknesses of unstructured observations

Answer 8

+more richness and in depth of detail in data is collected
+ high internal validity
-time consuming to analyse
- therefore increasing observer bias
-

Question 9

Step by step instructions for inter- observer reliability

Answer 9

• observer must familiarise themselves with the behavioural categories
• they observe the same behaviours at the same time in a small scale pilot study
• they must compare the data and discuss any differences
• conduct the observation
• analyse data and calculate inter observer reliability each pair of observations