Naturalistic Observation
OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH
Overview
Observational research is type of correlational (i.e., nonexperimental) research in which a researcher observes ongoing behavior. There are a variety of types of observational research, each of which has both strengths and weaknesses. These types are organized below by the extent to which an experimenter intrudes upon or controls the environment.
Naturalistic Observation
Naturalistic observation, also known as nonparticipant observation, has no intervention by a researcher. It is simply studying behaviors that occur naturally in natural contexts, unlike the artificial environment of a controlled laboratory setting. Importantly, in naturalistic observation, there is no attempt to manipulate variables.
Strength: We can measure what behavior is really like. After all, the researcher is observing real-life. This type of research, then, has high ecological validity (the extent to which a situation generalizes to real-life circumstances).
Weakness: We don't know the cause of behaviors, nor do we know if any observation is representative of what normally occurs.
Criteria for Naturalistic Observation
There are three specific criteria for an observational research study to be considered 'naturalistic.' If any one of these three are violated, the research is no longer naturalistic observation.
1) The setting must be natural. A researcher cannot adjust, control, change, or influence the setting or environment.
2) The event must be natural. If you're interested in memory for arguments and you wanted to use naturalistic observation, you'd basically have to wait until an argument to occur to collect data -- bad idea. Staging a fake argument, however real it may seem, is not a natural event and thereby violates this criterion.
3) The behavior must be natural. This requires that a researcher be unnoticed. For example, if you're measuring walking speed, you have to make sure you are sneaky about it; if anyone notices you with a
Overview
Observational research is type of correlational (i.e., nonexperimental) research in which a researcher observes ongoing behavior. There are a variety of types of observational research, each of which has both strengths and weaknesses. These types are organized below by the extent to which an experimenter intrudes upon or controls the environment.
Naturalistic Observation
Naturalistic observation, also known as nonparticipant observation, has no intervention by a researcher. It is simply studying behaviors that occur naturally in natural contexts, unlike the artificial environment of a controlled laboratory setting. Importantly, in naturalistic observation, there is no attempt to manipulate variables.
Strength: We can measure what behavior is really like. After all, the researcher is observing real-life. This type of research, then, has high ecological validity (the extent to which a situation generalizes to real-life circumstances).
Weakness: We don't know the cause of behaviors, nor do we know if any observation is representative of what normally occurs.
Criteria for Naturalistic Observation
There are three specific criteria for an observational research study to be considered 'naturalistic.' If any one of these three are violated, the research is no longer naturalistic observation.
1) The setting must be natural. A researcher cannot adjust, control, change, or influence the setting or environment.
2) The event must be natural. If you're interested in memory for arguments and you wanted to use naturalistic observation, you'd basically have to wait until an argument to occur to collect data -- bad idea. Staging a fake argument, however real it may seem, is not a natural event and thereby violates this criterion.
3) The behavior must be natural. This requires that a researcher be unnoticed. For example, if you're measuring walking speed, you have to make sure you are sneaky about it; if anyone notices you with a