Introduction to research methods in psychology/IRMP102/Naturalistic Observation

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Naturalistic observation involves the systematic observation of behaviour in its natural setting. For example, a psychologist might study antisocial behaviour among toddlers at a daycare centre. It is especially important that the observation be unobtrusive in order to avoid influencing the behaviour being observed. As a result, technology (e.g., video cameras) is often employed for this purpose. Where the use of technology is not feasible, multiple observers (or raters) who have been trained to use a reliable coding scheme help ensure that the behaviour is being recorded as objectively as possible.

In a recent example, Sears and her colleagues videotaped the home interactions of 31 families that each included an 8 to 12 year old child (Sears, Repetti, Reynolds, & Sperling, 2014). Later analyses of the video recordings allowed the researchers to identify the children's most common facial, vocal and physical expressions of anger as well as the specific situations that instigated their anger (e.g., requests for compliance). In addition, through this use of this technique Sears and her colleagues learned that there were few differences between the likelihood of mothers and fathers instigating children’s anger expressions, and between the expressions and contexts of the anger of boys and girls.

Advantages of naturalistic observation

• This method can stimulate the creation of theories and ideas for future experiments.
• Unlike some research that may be done in rather artificial environments (for example, laboratories may be overly simplistic and lack the rich complexity of the natural environment), the reader can more easily generalize results from this approach to the “real” world. After all, the observations took place in the participants’ natural setting.
• Some phenomena (e.g., the group dynamics within a cult) could not be manipulated using experimental methods. Naturalistic observation makes it possible for researchers to study such topics.

Limitations of naturalistic observation

• We cannot determine cause‐and‐effect relationships based on naturalistic observation because there is no manipulation of the variables, and we do not have strict control over the environment. Therefore, there are several variables that may be responsible for the observed behaviour.
• Naturalistic observations can be biased. For example, play and aggressive behaviours among toddlers can sometimes look similar. If observers were initially told that they were observing play behaviour, they might see subsequent behaviour as playful. However, if they were initially told that they were observing aggressive behaviours, the same subsequent behaviours might then be seen as aggressive. This is because the expectations or biases of researchers can influence how they perceive and interpret behaviour. This is of particular concern in psychology because we are typically interested in what a behaviour represents and not what is immediately observed.

• The researchers’ presence may alter behaviour. Imagine if we did a study on alcohol consumption at a small‐town pub. Our behaviour as researchers, especially if we were visibly taking notes or videotaping, might change the patrons’ drinking behaviour. This is why it is especially important that the observation be unobtrusive.