1 / 33

Ch 6 : Observational Methods

Ch 6 : Observational Methods. Places to Observe on Campus (Spring 2011). 1. Area in the middle of campus, by the Info Trolley. 2. By the food place on campus which is near the gym/pools. 3. By the statue of the boy overlooking the water feature.

latham
Download Presentation

Ch 6 : Observational Methods

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Ch 6: Observational Methods

  2. Places to Observe on Campus (Spring 2011) • 1. Area in the middle of campus, by the Info Trolley. • 2. By the food place on campus which is near the gym/pools. • 3. By the statue of the boy overlooking the water feature. • 4. Entrance of the SE parking structure (people exiting structure) • 5. Entrance of the SE parking structure (people entering structure) • 6. Entrance of the SW parking structure (people exiting structure) • 7. Entrance of the SW parking structure (people entering structure) • 8. By the entrance of the bookstore. • 9 In front of C Building, by mirror pools • 10. Shuttle stop by U Building • 11. Bus stop on Colorado in front of library • 12. Passenger drop off/pick up (Colorado B. in front of L Bldg) • 13. Starbucks

  3. Reactivity • Occurs when individuals change their usual behavior, when they know they are being observed [p114] • Minimize reactivity by: • Allowing time for individuals to become used to the presence of an observer or the recording equipment

  4. Sampling Behavior [p114] • Time sampling: Researchers choose time intervals for making observations • Systematic: Schedule observations to occur at a regular time • Random: Use some random means for identifying times for observations • Event samplingis used for rare events • Situation sampling: Researchers choose different settings, circumstances, and conditions for their observations

  5. Classification of Observational Methods • Two categories of observational methods: • Observation without Intervention • Observation with Intervention

  6. Observation without Intervention • Naturalistic Observation (AKA:field workor field observations): Observation in natural (“real-world”) settings without an attempt to intervene or change the situation [p108]

  7. Observer is an active participant in the natural setting he or she observes [p110] Norah Vincent “My Life as a Man” Undisguised (unconcealed): people in the setting know they are being observed Disguised (concealed): people don’t know they are being observed Participant observation

  8. Physical traces: The remnants, fragments, and products of past behavior Products: Creations, constructions, or other artifacts of earlier behavior Observation withoutIntervention

  9. Produced without any intervention by the investigator Natural-use traces

  10. Produced with some degree of intervention or manipulation by the investigator Controlled-use traces

  11. Natural use or controlled use trace?

  12. Natural use or controlled use trace?

  13. Natural use or controlled use trace?

  14. Public and private documents that describe the activities of individuals, institutions, governments, and other groups [p116] Archival records

  15. Archival Research[116-119] • A non-reactive measure (or indirect method) for collecting data—when the individual who did the behavior is no longer present • Archival research involves using previously compiled information to answer research questions

  16. Running records are continuously kept and updated (e.g., check book) Records of specific events (e.g., diploma) Running records & records of specific events

  17. Archival data are used to: • test hypotheses as part of a multimethod approach • test the external validity of laboratory findings • test hypotheses about past behavior • assess the effect of a natural treatment

  18. Multimethod approach • Researchers use a variety of measures to examine a research question

  19. Natural treatments • Naturally occurring events that impact society and individuals

  20. Occurs when some information is selected to be included in the archival record, but other information is not Selective deposit

  21. Occurs when information is lost or missing from an archival source Selective survival

  22. Content analysis • The process of making inferences based on objective coding of archival data [p118]

  23. Classifying events and behaviors into categories to count their frequency of occurrence [p107] Assign numerical values to responses and measures and then subject the data to quantitative statistical analyses Ex: Count the number of times gender-stereotypical jobs were assigned to characters in the story. Quantitative analysis

  24. Subjective judgments about the content in an archival record [p108] Describe behavior or findings based on themes that emerge from the data. Data are nonnumerical and expressed in language and images Ex: Watch the tape of Osama Bin Laden and tell me if you think he is being deceptive. Qualitative analysis

  25. Three Steps of Content Analysis • Identify a relevant source • Sample selections from the source • Code units of analysis

  26. Observation with Intervention [p112] • Systematic observation: The careful observation of one or more behaviors in a particular setting. Use when: • interest is in only a few very specific behaviors • observations are quantifiable • researcher has developed prior hypothesis

  27. Researcher manipulates an independent variable in a natural setting and observes behavior (dependent variable) [pp 82] Field experiment

  28. Coding systems for systematic observation… [p113] • are either (1) developed to fit the needs of the particular study or (2) “borrowed” systems developed by others • should be as simple as possible • must allow researchers to easily categorize behaviors

  29. Coding systems can involve: • Comprehensive records of people’s behavior (e.g., complete records, such as video tapes)—a qualitative record • Selecting specific behaviors to record—a quantitative record

  30. Equipment & Narrative Records Used when researchers want a complete (comprehensive) reproduction of people’s behavior [pp 113-114] • Examples: video and audio recordings, field notes

  31. Systematic Observation: Methodological Issues [pp113-114] • Equipment:can fail • Reactivity: the probability that the presence of the observer will affect behavior • Reliability: refers to how stable/consistent the measure is over time or between observers • Sampling: refers to how participants and behaviors are chosen to be studied • Larger samples of participants and multiple samples of behavior can increase both internal and external validity.

  32. Case Studies [pp115-116] • A case study provides a description of an individual. • Usually the individual is a person, but may also be a setting. • A psychobiography is a type of case study in which a researcher applies psychological theory to explain the life of an individual.

  33. Case Studies… • are done when an individual possesses a particularly rare, unusual, or noteworthy condition. • provide unique data about some psychological phenomenon • and the insights gained from them may lead to other research using other methods

More Related