Flashcards
Observations
Cards in this deck (9)
- 1What is an observation?Key component of all research methods but is also a research method in its own right.
- 2Whats a strength of observations?More valid coz you get to see actual behaviour instead of just asking people how they think they would behave.
- 3What are the weaknesses of observations?Can’t observe people’s thoughts, attitudes & feelings.
Ethical issues such as lack of consent may occur if those being observed are unaware the researcher is observing them. - 4What’s a participant observation?Where the observer is part of the group being observed - they may be a participant.
- 5What are the strengths of a participant observation?Validity may increase as the researcher gets to see first hand how people actually behave.
Researcher may end up knowing finding out information they didn’t know existed. - 6What are the weaknesses of a participant observation?Researcher may suffer from researcher bias, the researchers expectations may effect their perception of events.
Difficult for the researcher to accurately record behaviours as they may be overwhelmed by information. - 7What’s a non participant observation?An observer is merely watching/listening to the behaviour of others & acts as a non participant. Observe from a distance & don’t interact with the people being observed.
- 8What are the strengths of a non participant observation?Easier for the researcher to accurately record behaviours than in a participant observation.
More objective than participant observations. - 9What are the weaknesses of a non participant observation?Validity may decrease as the researcher is removed from the actual behaviour, may miss finer details.
Participants are more likely to know they are being observed, may be more demand characteristics/ social desirability.
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- A level Psychology (Unit 2 & 4 ) Flashcards on Observations , created by Bailey Wheatley on 20/02/2018.
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- Bailey Wheatley
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