Structured and Unstructured Design:
Unstructured observation is where the observer writes down everything they see. This produces accounts of behaviour that are rich in detail. This method is appropriate for small scale observations that involve few participants e.g. observing the interaction between a couple and a therapist doing marriage counselling

More detailed accounts
Greater risk of observer bias
Researcher may only record those behaviours that 'catch the eye' and these may not be the most important or useful
Reduces qualitative data which is harder to record and analyse

Structured observations are where the observer records behaviour from a pre-determined list of behaviours. Sometimes there is too much going on in a single observation for the researcher to record it all. Therefore it is important to simplify the target behaviours that will become the main facts of the investigation e.g. if the target behaviour was aggression and the setting was a school playground, the specific acts (verbal/physical) that make up the target behaviour would need to be clearly defined.

Makes the recording of data easier
Data produced is likely to be numerical making it easier to analyse and compare
Reduced risk of observer bias

	Created by Caitlyn Grayston about 7 years ago

AS level Psychology Note on Observational Design, created by Caitlyn Grayston on 21/05/2017.

Observational Design