Unit 7 CA 517 1

Unit 7cObserving Behavior

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Kerlinger & Lee Ch. 31. Observations of Behavior and

Sociometry.

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Observation controversy There is a lot of controversy and debate

about observation and methods of observation.

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Two basic modes of observation

1.  We can watch peoples' overt actions (i.e., what they do and what they say)

2.  We can ask people about their own actions and the behavior of others.

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The observer could be a major problem in the study. 

The observer could make incorrect inferences about the observed behavior. 

The observer can affect the objects of observation by being part of the observational system.

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Observed measurements are subject to reliability and validity requirements. 

By having the observer interpret the observation, validity may be reduced. 

Reliability for observations is in the form of agreement between judges or observers. 

The behavior to be measured through direct observation must be stated clearly with good operational definitions. http://epicurious.blogs.com/

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The fundamental task for the observer is to categorize the observed data. 

Categories are created, and as certain behaviors are observed, a tally or note is made in the category.

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Very strict operational definitions. 

All observation requires some level of interpretation from the observer. 

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Generalizability Different observation systems vary in the

amount of generalizability.  Some are very general, others are quite

specific.

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Rating scale

One type of observation involves observers presented with an observation system in the form of a rating scale. 

They are asked to assess an object in terms of one or more characteristics.

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Ratings have two serious weaknesses:

Because ratings are easy to construct and use, they may be created without knowledge of their intrinsic defects.

Ratings are prone to constant or bias error.

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Sociometry  Sociometry is a broad term indicating the

number of methods of gathering and analyzing data on choice, communication, and interaction patterns of individuals in groups.

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IRB FORMS http://park.edu/irb/

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End

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