1. You are going to see a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia. Observe him carefully and note down his behaviour as it happens.

3. Research methods and statistics We are learning about...We are learning how to... Observational studies.Gather psychological data. Check the validity of data. Make links between psychological approaches and methods.

4. The observation you did was qualitative and unstructured. What sorts of problem were associated with this approach?

5. Quantitative (structured) observation Categories of behaviour decided on beforehand Behaviours are tallied during observation either: – As they occur (event sampling) – At predetermined intervals (time sampling)

6. Observation schedule Touches hairMoves legSwitches handsChanges topic

8. Why is a structured, quantitative observation better than an unstructured, qualitative one? Why might a qualitative approach still be preferred?

9. Inter-observer reliability Two or more observers should always be used IOR is a measure of how far their data agrees What might it mean if IOR is low?

10. Types of observation Observational studies can be… – Laboratory or naturalistic – Participant or non-participant – Overt or covert What are the strengths and weaknesses of each different approach? – Validity – Ethics

11. On the VLE… Moodle questions about observational research. Exercise on sampling methods. RMS booklet Q17, Q9, Q6