PSYC 3550 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Naturalistic Observation, Inter-Rater Reliability, Participant Observation

• School: University of Windsor
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3550
• Professor: Cochran

Document Summary

Five basic research strategies: experimental, non-experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, and descriptive: descriptive research typically involves measuring a variable or set of variables as they exist naturally. The descriptive strategy is not concerned with relationships between variables but rather with the description of individual variables. The goal is to describe a single variable or to obtain separate descriptions for each variable when several are involved: descriptive strategy is extremely useful in preliminary research. The intent of a descriptive strategy study is to describe a phenomenon. Three descriptive research designs are considered: observational research, survey research, and case study research. In the observational research design, we describe observations of behaviors as they occur in natural settings. In survey research design, we describe people"s responses to questions about behavior and attitudes. In case studies, we describe a single individual in great detail. In the observational research design, the researcher observes and systematically records the behaviors of individuals for the purpose of describing behavior.