PSYC 200W Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Ct Scan, Multiple Choice, Cortisol
28 Jun 2018
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OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH
Direct observation of behavior
Its first hand and we directly observe it
We can find very detailed data
Observing multiple variables at the same time
Naturalistic setting
Natural or Contrived
Naturalistic: no active intervention but an observer might get excited about the research
and give away cues that could evoke the participant to behave how the researcher wanted
him to
oParticipant observation - researcher gets involved as a participant in the same
activity he wants to observe
Contrived: settings arranged by the researcher to observe the behavior of the
participants - Milgram study for obedience. However, it takes away from the natural behavior
of a participant.
oLab - where they are observed while performing tasks allotted in a lab
oField - made changes but in a natural setting
Undisguised and Disguised
Undisguised - participants know they are being observed
oReactivity - when participants are aware they are being observed
oSocial desirability - portray themselves better than usual
Disguised - participants are unaware that they are being observed
oEthical concerns - not getting informed consent before
Alternative to disguised - partial concealment because we tell them it's a research but we don't
exactly tell them what we are trying to test; ask knowledgeable informants of the people who are
close to the person we want to study about; or we can use unobtrusive measures - that do not
include human subjects but observe their environment
Behavioral Recording
Narratives: not structured, just randomly notes, full description of a participants
behavior
oField note - summary descriptions of a participant's behavior
Checklists: structured. sheet to record behavior and divide it up into instances to check
the ones that were fulfilled. Important part - operational definitions of the variables we are
observing to be able to make correct checks
Rating scales: intensity or quality of the behavior that is occurring
Temporal measures: when or how long - give kids a difficult puzzle and time how long it
took them to complete it or how long the kids waited before they had the cookie kept on the
table - task completion time. Also look at the reaction time, to see how long does it take for
people to respond to a stimulus. Interbehavior latency - amount of time that passes between
two behaviors (how long does it take for a person to become angry after they have been
provoked)
Money dropping experiment ->
Natural/Contrived - Contrived in a field
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Its first hand and we directly observe it. Naturalistic: no active intervention but an observer might get excited about the research and give away cues that could evoke the participant to behave how the researcher wanted him to o. Participant observation - researcher gets involved as a participant in the same activity he wants to observe. Contrived: settings arranged by the researcher to observe the behavior of the participants - milgram study for obedience. However, it takes away from the natural behavior of a participant. o o. Lab - where they are observed while performing tasks allotted in a lab. Field - made changes but in a natural setting. Undisguised - participants know they are being observed o. Reactivity - when participants are aware they are being observed. Social desirability - portray themselves better than usual. Disguised - participants are unaware that they are being observed o o. Ethical concerns - not getting informed consent before.
