observation method in psychology definition in 500 words?
Answers
Answer:
Time sampling is a sampling method that involves the acquisition of representative samples by observing subjects at different time intervals. These time intervals can be chosen randomly or systematically. If a researcher chooses to use systematic time sampling, the information obtained would only generalize to the one time period in which the observation took place. In contrast, the goal of random time sampling would be to be able to generalize across all times of observation. Depending on the type of study being conducted, either type of time sampling can be appropriate.
An advantage to using time sampling is that you gain the ability to control the contexts to which you'll eventually be able to generalize. However, time sampling is not useful if the event pertaining to your research question occurs infrequently or unpredictably, because you will often miss the event in the short time period of observation. In this scenario, event sampling is more useful. In this style of sampling, the researcher lets the event determine when the observations will take place. For example: if the research question involves observing behavior during a specific holiday, one would use event sampling instead of time sampling.
Answer:
Observation is one method for collecting research data. It involves watching a participant and recording relevant behavior for later analysis. One example of a study using the observational method would be when a researcher wants to study how children manage sharing of toys. He could observe a group of children playing in the classroom, and record what things they say or do that determine who gets to play with a coveted toy.
The observation method has the advantage of providing direct evidence of the phenomenon that is being studied. In the example above, the researcher gets data on how the children actually manage to share or not share. This is more objective than other ways of collecting data like for example, interviewing the children or their teacher.
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