PSYCH 100B Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Jared Fogle, Hand Washing, Naturalistic Observation
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March 5th (info about review session, practice exam) There are two main reasons why researchers use non-experimental designs. First, non- experimental designs are useful in the early stages of inquiry on a topic (e. g. effects of social media or the use of mobile devices by infants). Second, non-experimental designs allow a researcher to examine a behavior in a naturalistic setting. Surveys are probably the most common non-experimental research method. A major advantage of using surveys is that researcher can get a lot of data very quickly. It"s challenging to write good survey questions, and surveys inherently rely on self-report. In addition, the survey researcher must consider non-response bias, which can occur if there are systematic differences between people who choose to respond to a survey and people who do not (e. g. 2016 presidential polling). Observation studies are when a behavior is examined and quantified in its natural environment - this is usually where research begins!
