1. What you see is what you get
Observation
What you see is what you get

2. Observation Research Defined
Observation research can be defined as the systematic process of recording the behavioral patterns of people, objects, and occurrences without questioning or communicating with them.

3. Observational Situations
Situation Example
People watching people Observers stationed in supermarkets watch
consumers select frozen Mexican dinners.
The purpose is to see how much comparison
shopping people do at the point of purchase.
People watching Observer stationed at an intersection counts
phenomena traffic moving in various directions.
Machines watching Move or videotape cameras record behavior
people as in people-watching-people example.
Machines watching Traffic-counting machines monitor traffic phenomena flow.

4. What can be observed Human behaviour and physical actions
Verbal behaviour
Expressive behaviour
Spatial relations and locations
Temporal patterns
Physical objects
Verbal or pictorial records

5. WHAT CAN BE OBSERVED
Phenomena Example
Human behavior or physical Shoppers movement
action pattern in a store
Verbal behavior Statements made by
airline travelers who wait
in line
Expressive behavior Facial expressions, tone of
voice, and other form of
body language

6. WHAT CAN BE OBSERVED
Phenomena Example
Spatial relations How close visitors at an
and locations art museum stand to paintings
Temporal patterns How long fast-food customers
wait for their order to be served
Physical objects What brand name items are
stored in consumers’ pantries
Verbal and Pictorial Bar codes on product packages
Records

7. Approaches Natural versus contrived situations.
Visible/open versus disguised/hidden situations.
Structured versus unstructured observation.
Human versus machine observation.
Direct versus indirect observation.

8. Advantages and Disadvantages of Observation Research
Observation research provides the researcher the opportunity to watch what people actually do rather than relying on reports of what they say they do.
This approach can avoid much of the biasing factors caused by the interviewer and question structure associated with the survey approach.

9. Communication with respondent is not necessary
Data without distortions due to self-report (e.g.: without social desirability)
Bias
No need to rely on respondents memory
Nonverbal behavior data may be obtained
Certain data may be obtained more quickly
Environmental conditions may be recorded
May be combined with other methods to provide supplemental evidence

10. Disadvantages
Only behavior and physical personal characteristics can usually be examined. The researcher does not learn about motives, attitudes, intentions, or feelings.
Observation research can be time consuming and costly if the observed behavior occurs rather infrequently.
Interpretation of data may be a problem
Possible invasion of privacy

11. Who sees what where…

12. Humans observing Humans
Mystery Shoppers
People employed to pose as consumers and shop at the employer’s competitors to compare prices, displays, and the like.
One-Way Mirror Observations
The practice of watching unseen from behind a one-way mirror.

13. Shopper Patterns Response latency Test sites
Drawings that record the footsteps of a shopper through a store.
Response latency
Recording the decision time necessary to make a choice between two alternatives.
Test sites

14. Humans observing Physical Objects
Content Analysis
A technique used to study written material (advertising copy, newspapers, minutes) by breaking it into meaningful units, using carefully applied rules.
Physical trace evidence
Study of visible signs of past event/occurrence.
garbology

15. Physical Audit
The examination and verification of the sales of a product.
Pantry audits

16. Machine Observing People
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A machine that measures the rhythmic fluctuations in electrical potential of the brain and can be used to measure an individual’s emotional response to a stimulus.
Eye tracking monitors
Record how subject reads or views phenomenon

17. Pupilometer Psychogalvanometer Voice pitch analysis
Observes and records changes in the diameter of subjects pupils which changes as a result of cognitive processing
Psychogalvanometer
Measures Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)- involuntary changes in the electrical resistance of the skin
Voice pitch analysis
Measures emotional reactions through physiological changes in voice

18. Machine Observing Phenomenon
Traffic counters
Machines used to measure vehicular flow over a particular stretch of roadway.
People meter
A microwave computerized rating system that transmits demographic information overnight to measure national TV audiences.

19. Scanner based research
A system for gathering information from a single group of respondents by continuously monitoring the advertising, sales, promotion, and pricing they are exposed to and the things they buy.