Structured observation
The key advantage of structured observation over survey research is that:
It does not rely on the researcher’s ability to take notes
The researcher is immersed as a participant in the field they are studying
It does not impose any expectations of behaviour on the respondents
It allows you to observe people’s behaviour directly
It allows you to observe people’s behaviour directly
It has been observed (see the reference to LaPiere, 1934) that what people say they do and what they actually do may differ. Quite why this should be the case is outside the scope of the current question. Accepting the statement as at least having hypothetical value could suggest that surveys will elicit the truth of what people feel they are likely, or prone, to do but direct observation of their behaviour would be required to see how close their survey statements are reflected by actual behaviour. To gather quantitative data, observation needs to be structured into a standardized format in order to have measurement validity.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 268
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 268
It allows you to observe people’s behaviour directly It has been observed (see the reference to LaPiere, 1934) that what people say they do and what they actually do may differ. Quite why this should be the case is outside the scope of the current question. Accepting the statement as at least having hypothetical value could suggest that surveys will elicit the truth of what people feel they are likely, or prone, to do but direct observation of their behaviour would be required to see how close their survey statements are reflected by actual behaviour. To gather quantitative data, observation needs to be structured into a standardized format in order to have measurement validity.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 268
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 268
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What did Salancik mean by “field stimulations”?A. Being immersed in the field can help to simulate the experience of your informants
B. Researchers can intervene in and manipulate a setting to observe the effects
C. Surveys conducted in the field are more effective than structured observation
D. Some researchers find their projects so stimulating that they have to lie down
LaPiere conducted a study of the way restaurant owners granted or refused access to a Chinese couple. This is an example of observing behaviour in terms of:
A. Individuals
B. Incidents
C. Short time periods
D. Long time periods
Which of the following is not a type of sampling used in structured observation?
A. Focal sampling
B. Scan sampling
C. Emotional sampling
D. Behaviour sampling
What is meant by the term “reactive effect”?
A. If people know they are being observed, they may change their behaviour
B. Research subjects may have a bad reaction to the drugs they are given
C. Researchers sometimes react to their informants’ behaviour with horror
D. The categories on an observation schedule may not be mutually exclusive
What is an observation schedule?
A. A set of explicit rules for assigning behaviour to categories
B. A timetable of days on which you plan to carry out your observation
C. A list of questions to ask your interviewees
D. A way of testing for measurement validity
Cohen’s kappa is a measure of:
A. Inter-surveyor consistency
B. Intra-observer validity
C. Intra-coder validity
D. Inter-observer consistency
Which of the following is a problem associated with survey research?
A. The problem of objectivity
B. The problem of “going native”
C. The problem of omission
D. The problem of robustness
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