Goals of Research

• Description Collecting systematic observations

• Prediction Establish relationships among variables Correlational research

• Explanation Establish cause and effect relationships Experiments

• Intervention Address a real-life problem Program Evaluation

Naturalistic Observation

• Learning about behavior in a real-life setting

• Observation without intervention vs.• Observation with intervention

Observation without Intervention

• Situation not controlled by the researcher

• Situation not created by the researcher

Advantages of Naturalistic Observation

1. Ecological Validity

2. External Validity

3. Can observe behaviors in situations it might be unethical to create

Threats to Observational Research

• Reactivity

• Ex. The Hawthorne Effect (Homans, 1965)

Social Roles of Participants

Weber & Cook (1972)

1.Good Subject Role2.Faithful Subject Role3.Negativistic Subject Role4.Apprehensive Subject Role

Avoiding Reactivity

1. Unobtrusive Observation2. Deception– Directing the subject’s expectations away from

the true purpose of the study– Subject is blind about their role– Double-blind study

Data Collection in Observational Studies

• Narrative Record• Videotape and audio recordings• Quantitative measures of behavior

Quantitative Measures

• Sampling– Representative samples

• Methods of sampling– Time sampling– Event sampling– Situation sampling

Recording Quantitative Data

• Coding

Observation with Intervention

1. To cause an event that occurs infrequently or that occurs under conditions that make it difficult to observe.

2. To investigate the limits of a response by varying the stimulus conditions

3. To arrange the situations so that conditions can be controlled and consequent behaviors can be easily observed.

Types of Observation with Intervention

1. Participant Observation• Disguised• Undisguised

2. Structured Observation

3. Field Experiment