OBSERVATIONAL METHODS © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Compare quantitative and qualitative methods of describing behavior Describe naturalistic observation and discuss methodological issues such as participation and concealment © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Describe systematic observation and discuss methodological issues such as the use of equipment, reactivity, reliability, and sampling Describe the features of a case study Describe archival research and the sources of archival data: statistical records, survey archives, and written records © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Quantitative Focuses on specific behaviors that can be easily quantified Assigns numerical values to responses and measure Uses large samples Is subject to the data statistical analyses © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Qualitative Observational measures Focuses on behavior in natural settings Small groups and limited setting Describe or capture themes that emerge from the data Data are non-numerical and expressed in language and/or images © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Field Work or Field Observation Researchers make observations in a natural setting over a period of time, using a variety of techniques to collect information Used to describe and understand how people in a social or cultural setting live, work, and experience the setting © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Description and Interpretation of Data Techniques include: - Observing, interviewing, and surveying documents Goals: - Describe setting, events, and persons - Analyze the categories that emerge - Researcher must interpret what occurred - Generate hypotheses that help explain the data - Write a final report of results © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Issues in Naturalistic Observation Participation Concealment Identifying the scope of the observation © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Strengths of Naturalistic Observation Useful in complex and novel settings Limitations of Naturalistic Observation Cannot be used to study all issues Less useful when studying well-defined hypotheses under precisely specific conditions Must constantly reanalyze and revise hypotheses A negative case analysis may be necessary to understand observations that do not fit the explanatory structure © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Systematic observations: careful observation of specific behaviors in a particular setting Coding Systems Methodological Issues Equipment Reactivity Reliability Sampling © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Provides a Description of an Individual Psychobiography – a type of case study in which a researcher applies psychological theory to explain the life of an individual Valuable in Informing Us of Conditions that are Rare or Unusual © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Archival research involves using previously compiled information to answer research questions Statistical Records Survey Archives Written and Mass Communication Records © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

 Content Analysis of Documents  Systematic analysis of existing documents  Requires coding system  Can address questions that can be addressed in no other ways  Limitations  Difficult to obtain  Cannot be sure of accuracy © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.