Observational Research Design Researcher observes and systematically records the behavior of individuals to describe the behavior

Behavioral Observation Direct observation and systematic recording of behaviors, usually in natural settings – Unobtrusive observations Subject reactivity – Subjective interpretation by observer Reliability issues

Problem of Subjectivity Operational definition of beh – Behavioral categories Well trained observers – List beh of interest – videotape Multiple observers to assess inter-rater reliability

Behavior Recorded Frequency – Number of times a beh is emitted Duration – Amount of time spent engaged in the beh Interval – Dividing observation period into interval and noting whether beh occurred or not

Sampling Observations Take samples of potential observations rather than watch/record everything Divide observation period into time intervals – Time sampling: observing for one interval, then pausing during the next interval to record all the observations – Event sampling: specific beh recorded and then onto next beh – Individual sampling: one participant per interval

Content Analysis and Archival Research Books, movies – Jeffres (1997) Saturday morning cartoons Historical records – internet

Naturalistic Observation Researcher observes behavior in a natural setting as unobtrusively as possible – Classroom – Mall – Goodall (1971, 1986) High degree of external validity, however no control Time consuming process

Participant Observation Researcher engages in the same activities as people being observed Rosenhan’s (1973) investigated experiences of mental patients and patient-staff interactions in psyc hospital – Admittence into hospital by reports of hearing voices

Contrived Observation Researcher sets up situation that is likely to produce the behavior Participants asked to come into laboratory – Piaget ( ) Natural setting manipulated in field experiments – Lorenz

Survey Research Design Way to gather large amount of information in short period of time Measure attitudes, opinions, personal characteristics, and beh Goal is to provide “snapshot” of group

Issues Regarding Survey Research Question development Question organization Sample? Administered

Types of Questions Nature of questions determines responses which determines analysis – Open-Ended Questions – Restricted Questions – Rating-Scale Questions

Constructing a Survey Demographic Sensitive questions placed in middle Similar format grouped together Don’t overwhelm Vocabulary simple

Participants Large N Representative sample – Generalize to desired population

Strengths and Weaknesses Table 13.2 Lots of information in short period of time Validity of answers Analysis difficult