Observational Techniques in Psychology

Different observation techniques help to focus the observation so appropriate data is collected and presented in meaningful ways.

Per Schmuck, (1997) “Observation methods are useful to researchers in a variety of ways. They provide researchers with the means to check for nonverbal expression of feelings, determine who interacts with whom, grasp how participants communicate with each other and check for how much time spent on various activities.”" Nevertheless, the Apple and Samsung needed to re-brand their great iconic name with unleashing of store coupons of $200.00 as experiment new customers. The

Naturalistic observational research is important because it allows researchers to observe people in a natural habitat without any variable manipulation. Most importantly in naturalistic observation, the researcher does not interfere with the situation in any way. Naturalistic observation can be structured or unstructured; for this study, unstructured naturalistic observation was mostly used. There were pre-determined characteristics that the researchers wrote down on a spreadsheet, however, specific behaviors were recorded as they happened (i.e., the type of reaction that resulted from each person who picked up the card). Naturalistic observation is important in psychological research because it gives insight into the natural behaviors of people. When a person is unaware they are being observed it reduces change in behavior, which can occur when if they are aware that they are being observed.

Naturalistic observation is observing behavior in an open, relaxed environment. This method allows a researcher to watch someone’s uninhibited reactions compared to surveys or case surveys where you can answer truthfully or untruthfully. The strengths of naturalistic observations are better generalizing, subjects are comfortable which adds to higher degree of realism

| -The observer may be biased-There is no control over variables, so it makes it difficult to draw conclusions (Brain, C, 2000).-Requires high level of participation which can cost a lot and take up a lot of time-People might change their behaviour if they know that they are being observed-Researcher might miss something while they are watching and taking notes (University of Surrey, 2014).

Observational methods involve an investigator viewing users as they work and taking notes on the activity which takes place. Observation may be either direct, where the investigator is actually present during the task, or indirect, where the task is viewed by some other means such as through use of a video camera.

What is the research method (i.e.: survey, participant observation, experiment, secondary sources) used by the researchers?

This is an observational study because it does involve the study of the variables as they are without any sort of manipulation.

In the profession of Psychology, watching people, animals, possessions in an environment are called observation. Individuals who work in Psychology use three different methods to observe people called controlled, natural, and participant observation. (McLeod, 2015) In my opinion, controlled observation is the most accurate mothed to use when studying a subject, because professionals can control and account for different variables. In the following paragraphs, I will describe the behavior I wished to observe in my chosen laboratory, the results that I obtained, and I will have provided a detailed explanation of my observation method used.

Observational study: research method that goes into the natural setting & observes people in action.

The method used for the study was quantitative, this was chosen rather than a qualitative as this deals with facts and figures and is an investigatory type of study. This can be either experimental or non experiment. Experimental is the method used in this study which looks at cause and effect, and involves dependent and independent variables. (Balnaves and Caputi, 2001) A qualitative study can be described as interpretive which deals with personal thoughts and feelings (Flick, 2009).

Data received through observation of events are generally more reliable and free from respondent bias

Observational research is type of correlational (i.e., nonexperimental) research in which a researcher observes ongoing behavior. There are a variety of types of observational research, each of which has both strengths and weaknesses. These types are organized below by the extent to which an experimenter intrudes upon or controls the environment.

A study design is the procedure that guides a researcher on how to collect, analyze and interpret observations. It is a logical model that guides the investigator while he navigates through the various stages of the research. Study types can be classified severally depending on the research strategy employed. A study type can be non-interventional that is ‘observational’ where a researcher just observes and analyses researchable objects or situations without intervening. Non-interventional study designs can be exploratory, descriptive or comparative. A study can also be

These biases can lead to misrepresenting participants’ descriptions. Describing atypical individuals may lead to poor generalizations and detract from external validity.