Field Research and Survey Method

Field Research  Naturalistic  Archival  Surveys  Case Studies  Program Evaluations  Field Experiments

Naturalistic Observation vs. Case Study  Naturalistic Observation –Ethology –Sociology –Psychology  Rosenhan  Case Studies –Freud –Witmer –Piaget

Differences Between the Two?  Role of the researcher –Case Study  Intervention –Naturalistic Observation  Describe

When to Use Low-Constraint?  Exploratory –Rosenhan  Feasibility of new technique  Generalizabilty –Do controlled environments = the real world?  Psychological Maladies –H.M. –Anna O.  Ethics

Benefits of Low-Constraint Research  New Ideas  Negate general propositions –Genocidal Chimpanzees  (However, you cannot establish new laws)  Relationship between variables –Contingency  Flexibility

The Low-Constraint Method  Qualitative Research –Categorical data  General Problem Statements –Aids in flexibility  Observations –Unobtrusive –Participant observer  Measurement reactivity –Reactive measures –Nonreactive measures

Methodology Continued  Unobtrusive Measures –Operational definition  Likert vs. Tile floor  Archival Measures  Sampling –Representativeness –Situation  Interpretation –Difficult with little control

Problems of Low-Constraint Studies  Representativeness –Random Assignment?  Nuns and Alcoholism  Replicability –Documenting procedures  Causation? –Post-dictive explanation –Ex post facto fallacy

Additional Problems  Experimenter Bias –Deductions –Freud  Experimenter Reactivity  Hawthorne Effect  Generalizing further than the data –Rosenhan

Survey  Status Survey  Survey research –Discover relationship between variables Case study  Experiment

Survey Research  What to study?  Population?  Administer? –Phone vs. In person  Questionnaire vs. Interview Schedule  Factual items vs. Content Items –Demographics vs. Indicators

Develop a Survey Instrument  Questions  Form  Order  Items –Open-ended –Multiple-choice –Likert-scale items

Things to Consider  Ordering effects –Counterbalance  Double-barreled questions  Length of the Questionnaire –Important questions first, Demographics last

Sampling  Sample –Nonprobability vs. Probability  Simple random sample  Stratified random sampling  Homogenous vs. Heterogeneous  Confidence Interval

Research Design  Cross-sectional –3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th graders, at one time  Cohort effect  Longitudinal/panel Design –Follow the 3 rd graders for three years  Cost

Merits/Drawbacks  Ask a lot of questions  Find new relationships  Quick  Applicability  Causation?  Validity?