1. Goals of Research Description  Collecting systematic observations Prediction  Establish relationships among variables  Correlational research Explanation  Establish cause and effect relationships  Experiments Intervention  Address a real-life problem  Program Evaluation

2. Naturalistic Observation Learning about behavior in a real-life setting Observation without intervention vs. Observation with intervention

3. Observation without Intervention Situation not controlled by the researcher Situation not created by the researcher

4. Advantages of Naturalistic Observation 1.Ecological Validity 2.External Validity 3.Can observe behaviors in situations it might be unethical to create

5. Threats to Observational Research Reactivity Ex. The Hawthorne Effect (Homans, 1965)

6. Social Roles of Participants Weber & Cook (1972) 1.Good Subject Role 2.Faithful Subject Role 3.Negativistic Subject Role 4.Apprehensive Subject Role

7. Avoiding Reactivity 1.Unobtrusive Observation 2.Deception – Directing the subject’s expectations away from the true purpose of the study – Subject is blind about their role – Double-blind study

8. Data Collection in Observational Studies Narrative Record Videotape and audio recordings Quantitative measures of behavior

9. Quantitative Measures Sampling – Representative samples Methods of sampling – Time sampling – Event sampling – Situation sampling

10. Recording Quantitative Data Coding

11. Observation with Intervention 1.To cause an event that occurs infrequently or that occurs under conditions that make it difficult to observe. 2.To investigate the limits of a response by varying the stimulus conditions 3.To arrange the situations so that conditions can be controlled and consequent behaviors can be easily observed.

12. Types of Observation with Intervention 1.Participant Observation Disguised Undisguised 2.Structured Observation 3.Field Experiment