Naturalistic Observations
Naturalistic observations are very useful in child psychology and they have been used to observe play and language development. Because they are in a natural setting they show natural behaviour which is what the researcher wants to see.
They aid psychologists understanding in ‘real’ behaviour and help children to develop appropriate behaviour. Also, the data gathered is valid because there is little interference with the behaviour of the child.
Time sampling is often used, where times are allocated and the researcher observes and records the behaviour in each time period to help build a detailed picture of the child’s behaviour.
Naturalistic observations are valid because they produce data that is unaffected by other variables such as an artificial setting. They are ethical also consent does need to be gained especially if it is covert research. Because children are involved parental research can be obtained, even in the case of a covert study. They have reliability because more than one researcher can observe and results can be compared meaning there is inter-rater reliability.
An issue is that there is sometimes observer-drift where the observers move away from what they planned to observe and therefore there may be some bias. Reliability is also an issue because the observation cannot always be repeated if there is a set of circumstances that might not occur again.
Structured Observations
Structured observations can also be used to gather information about a child’s behaviour, especially if it is inappropriate.
A situation may be set up by the teacher, researcher or psychologist and then the observer can record certain information about the behaviour of the child in that situation.
They use the ABC model:
- Antecedent – what sets the behaviour off
- Behaviour – what occurs
- Consequence – what happens as a result of the behaviour
Ainsworth used a structured observation with the strange situation where she looked at attachment between parents and their children.
Structured observations have a standardised procedure and enough detail to be replicable meaning that they can be tested for reliability. They are used to provide evidence to they tend to be reliably recorded (the ABC model helps with this). Also they are efficient in terms of time and money because there is no need for the behaviour to occur.
However, they do lack validity because there may be demand characteristics and social desirability meaning that they are less valid than naturalistic observations. Also, they are less likely to involve informed consent, although consent for young children consent needs to come from their parents.