Ninth Edition CoverGraziano & Raulin
Research Methods (9th edition)

Making Observations
(Examples)

In this unit, we will be outlining several examples of both unobtrusive observation and participant observation. These are not the only ways in which a particular variable could be measured, but they do represent reasonable ways to measure the variables listed.

Unobtrusive Observational Approaches

Unobtrusive measures are collected in such a way that the participants are unaware that something about them is being measured. Consequently, these measures tend to be less reactive than the traditional psychological measures.

Dependent Variable

The proportion of male vs. female drivers who fail to make legal stops at stop signs and red lights.

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Use a hidden video camera.
  • Have hidden observers take notes.
  • Check traffic court records.
  • Check accident records.

Dependent Variable

Spanking children in public places

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Use a hidden video camera.
  • Have hidden observers take notes.

Dependent Variable

Physical affection expressed in public places

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Use a hidden video camera.
  • Have hidden observers take notes .
  • Ask people about what they have witnessed others doing.

Dependent Variable

Effectiveness of supervisors on a production line

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Compare records of productivity of different supervisors.
  • Interview the line workers.
  • Interview the supervisors' bosses .
  • Observe behavior with a hidden camera system (This may be both an ethical and a legal problem depending on the expectation of the employees.).

Dependent Variable

Eating habits of a particular group of people

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Invite them to a party and observe.
  • Watch them shop for food.
  • Inspect contents of their trash .
  • Interview others about them.

Dependent Variable

Identifying which books are actually read after taking them out of the library

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Inspect upper page corners for wear.
  • Treat the paper so that new fingerprints on each page will be visible under an ultraviolet light.

Participant Observational Approaches

Participant observation is done by someone who is a part of the program under study. It has the advantage of making the observations less obvious, therefore reducing the reactivity of the measures.

Dependent Variable

Pre-schoolers' rule-following behavior in games

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Play rule-driven games with the children.
  • Supervise games with the children.

Dependent Variable

The feelings of mental patients in hospitals

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Admit self to hospital as a mental patient, and then observe your own feelings.
  • Observe patients' behavior, and ask them later what it was all about.
  • Notice how patients change their behavior depending on the situation in the ward.

Dependent Variable

Subtle rewards and punishments used by ward aides and nurses in mental hospitals

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Admit self to hospital as patient, and then observe staff.
  • Enter ward as researcher, ostensibly to study patients, but actually to observe staff.
  • Get a job as a staff member and observe the other staff.

Dependent Variable

Proportion of college students who cheat on exams

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Have undergraduate assistants pose as students, take the exam, and observe and record cheating instances.
  • Have the same undergraduate assistants talk with other students about how best to cheat and what techniques they have used..

Dependent Variable

Steps in decision-making in a work group

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Pose as a member of the group.
  • Come in as a consultant and work with the staff to get a feel for the operation.

Dependent Variable

Problem-solving steps by children in cognitive tasks

Possible Observation Procedures

  • Administer problem-solving test to children; instruct them to say aloud what they are thinking about; record their comments and their answers.
  • Administer a problem-solving test to the children; use carefully constructed tasks where specific thought processes will result in specific patterns of answers.

Exercises

We have also includes some exercises to give you hands-on practice with developing your own observational procedures.

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