Definition
• It refers to collecting data without interfering with the ongoing behavior.
• Observation relies on information available to the senses i.e. sight, hearing, touch etc.
• participants are carefully observed in their natural setting without interference by the researchers. Examples:
(a) an anthropologist unnoticeably observing wild gorillas.
(b) a researcher sitting in a fast food restaurant and observing the eating habits of men vs. women.
Naturalistic observation entails
•
•
•
•
•
•
Goal/objective
The Observation
Data
Analysis
Hypothesis
Procedures
Goal
Allows you to study the phenomenon of eye contact by means of a naturalistic observation. Eye contact is an important aspect of nonverbal communication. After this, you should develop a better understanding of what a naturalistic observation entails. Remember, the researcher is not to interact with the participants in the study.
The Observation
• Example, select 4 males and 4 females to observe.
• Use some type of random selection process. You may observe people in the cafeteria or in class.
They must be interacting with others.
• Observe each person for two minutes, recording with a slash every 10 seconds what behavior they are demonstrating (see chart below).
• Be sure the subjects do not know you are making observations. Data
• Record data below in the chart.
• Determine percentages for each category.
Male 1
Eye
contact
Looking
Away
Looking
at a
Thing
Female 1
Male 1
Female 1
Male 1
Female 1
Male 1
Female 1
%M
%F
Analysis
Write a brief summary of the observations that were recorded on your data sheets. This should include: • observed reactions
• conclusions about eye contact, and
• concerns that you had during the observation regarding factors that may have influenced your results.
Hypothesis
• From your observations, formulate a hypothesis regarding eye contact.
Procedures
• How would you improve your procedure if you were to conduct this observation again?
Advantages
• Allows observation of behavior exactly as it occurs in the real world. The situation being studied exists in the natural ecology of the species.
• Helps to establish the external strength of the research findings. If you see the behavior occurring in real life, it’s easier to say that the results from your study extend to the general population.
Disadvantages
• This method is good if a researcher wants participants to be reacting normally but it can be time consuming, the "sought-after" behavior may never occur, there is no control over the environment
(e.g., fast food restaurant runs out of fries), and it is difficult to know if the researcher will be able to be completely unnoticeably.
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