Recording data in observations

Recording data in observations

1. behavioural categories

   • description
     • uses a behaviour checklist (called a behaviour schedule) table with different behavioural catgories. every time a behaviour is observed a tally is put into the appropriate cell on the table.
   • strengths
     • The tallies make the data easier to quantify and use in graphs compared to qualitative data.
     • allow the researcher to keep a clear focus on behaviours being observed.
     • more scientific and objective way of carrying out observations compared to other methods of observation
     • standardised way of collecting data in observations, makes it easy to replicate ad check for reliability.
   • weaknesses
     • one observers behaviour definition of a certain behaviour may be different to another observers defintion different results are obtained by two different observers (lack of inter-observer reliability .

2. other methods

   • note-taking- notes are then taken away and the observer tries tries to identify patterns in behaviour.
   • audio or video recording- problematic if the observation is a covert participant observation
   • data collected
     • time sampling- observing at different intervals of time.
     • situation stampling- observing a behaviour in a variety of different situations and settings.
     • event sampling- observer focuses on a specific pre-selected behaviour they are interested in

3. questionnaires

   • description
     • standardised questipns that are handed out/ delivered to ps. Ps fill in the quesstinnaires themselfs (self -report technique)
     • open questions- express their ideas and opinions. no pre-determined answers, produce qualitative data( words)
       • strengths
         • allow the ps to express themselves and generate qualitative data which is in depth and has meaning. - gives the researcher a much fuller understanding of the behaviour being studied
       • weaknesses
         • very time consuming to analyse and draw conclusions from , researcher mey misinterpret the data.
     • closed questions- set of pre-determined answers, produce quantitive data (numbers)
       • asked in a number of ways:
         • likert scales- indicate the dtrength of agreement
         • Rating scales- similar to likert scales they indicate strengths of feeling
         • fixed choice options- ps just tick from a range of options
       • strengths
         • easy to analyse and draw conclusions from, easy to represent the data in charts and graphs to show trends in the data.
       • weaknesses
         • ps cannot fully express themselves as the researcher has already pre-determined a range of answers to select from, the quantitative gained lacks any deep meaning and the researcher does not get a full understanding of the behaviour being researched.
   • strengths
     • easily distributed to participants. reseracher can obtain a large sample of participnats and therefore generate a lot of data
     • standardised questions-easy to replicate and researcher can check for reliability
   • weaknesses
     • participants can li on quesstionnaries can not be completely honest, often do this so they appear in a favourable light to the researcher.(socilly desirable answers/social desireability bias)-affects the validity of the results
     • may have complex questiones which are difficult to understand or interpret- questions may be leading questioswhich urge the p to give a certan response, lead to invalid findings.