NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION METHOD

Naturalistic observation is a method of research that is often used by social scientists and
psychologists. It uses a technique which involves the observation of subjects while they remain
in their natural environment. In other words, Naturalistic Observation involves carefully and
systematically watching behaviors as they occur naturally, with no involvement from the
observer.

This process makes it possible to conduct research in situations where being in a laboratory is
either cost-prohibitive, unrealistic, or could influence the behaviors of the individuals involved
in the study. People do not always behave the same way when they are in a lab setting
compared to how they are in their natural setting. When specific behaviors require tracking,
then the only way to observe them involves watching how decisions are made under specific
situations and stimuli in real-life settings. This process makes it possible for social scientists to
understand how people react. It differs from structured observation because it looks at a
behavior as it happens in a natural setting without an attempting to intervene on the part of
the researcher.

The growth of mobile technologies and the Internet has increased the accessibility and
usefulness of naturalistic observation. This entry provides an examination of naturalistic
observation in an effort to uncover the versatility and utility of this type of research approach.

Advantages:
1. It creates the potential for more genuine reactions.
2. It gives scientists a first-hand look at social behavior.
3. It allows researchers to study ideas that cannot be manipulated otherwise.
4. By being able observe the flow of behavior in its own setting studies have greater
ecological validity.
5. Like case studies naturalistic observations is often used to generate new ideas. Because
it gives the researcher the opportunity to study the total situation it often suggests
avenues of enquiry not thought of before.
6. It offers different windows for data collection without affecting results (time sampling
and situation sampling).

Disadvantages:
1. Hawthorne effect : the alteration of behavior by the subjects of a study due to their
awareness of being observed.
 2. Observer bias: occurs when one’s own motives, expectations, and previous experiences
interfere with the objectivity of the observation being made.
3. Results are less reliable as it cannot be tested later.
4. Cause and effect relationship cannot be determined as observer will have no control
over external factors affecting the results.
5. This kind of study requires a well-trained and skilled observer as he should be able to
recognize aspects of a situation that are psychologically significant and worth further
attention.
6. These observations are often conducted on a micro (small) scale and may lack a
representative sample. This may result in the findings lacking the ability to be
generalized to wider society.

SURVEY RESEARCH METHOD

Survey research is a quantitative and qualitative method with two important characteristics.
First, the variables of interest are measured using self-reports. In essence, survey researchers
ask their participants (who are often called respondents in survey research) to report directly
on their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Second, considerable attention is paid to the
issue of sampling. In particular, survey researchers have a strong preference for large random
samples because they provide the most accurate estimates of what is true in the population. In
fact, survey research may be the only approach in psychology in which random sampling is
routinely used. Beyond these two characteristics, almost anything goes in survey research.
Surveys can be long or short. They can be conducted in person, by telephone, through the mail,
or over the Internet. They can be about voting intentions, consumer preferences, social
attitudes, health, or anything else that it is possible to ask people about and receive meaningful
answers. Although survey data are often analyzed using statistics, there are many questions
that lend themselves to more qualitative analysis.

Most survey research is non-experimental. It is used to describe single variables (e.g., the
percentage of voters who prefer one presidential candidate or another, the prevalence of
schizophrenia in the general population) and also to assess statistical relationships between
variables (e.g., the relationship between income and health). But surveys can also be
experimental. The study by Lerner and her colleagues is a good example. Their use of self-
report measures and a large national sample identifies their work as survey research. But their
manipulation of an independent variable (anger vs. fear) to assess its effect on a dependent
variable (risk judgments) also identifies their work as experimental.

Advanced survey software solutions have multi-mode capabilities for online surveys, mobile
surveys, email surveys, paper surveys, kiosk surveys, and more, giving researchers the ability to
survey even the hardest-to reach consumers, and analyze data from all survey modes
collectively.

Advantages:
1. Relatively easy to administer.
2. Can be developed in less time (compared to other data-collection methods).
3. Cost-effective, but cost depends on survey mode.
4. Can be administered remotely via online, mobile devices, mail, email, kiosk, or
telephone.
5. Conducted remotely can reduce or prevent geographical dependence.
6. Numerous questions can be asked about a subject, as it provides privacy and anonymity.
7. A broad range of data can be collected (e.g., attitudes, opinions, beliefs, values,
behavior, factual) at a time from large number of respondents.

Disadvantages:
1. Lack of flexibility.
2. Response rates are typically low and possible cooperation problems.
3. Not appropriate for low literacy audiences.
4. No interviewer, respondents cannot be probed.
5. Researcher cannot be sure as to who has responded to the questions, it might be
produced by a non-representative sample.
6. Lack of visual materials that is researcher will not be able to observe non-verbal cues.
7. Possible inappropriateness of questions and questions can be interpreted differently by
different respondents.

CASE STUDY METHOD

Case studies are in-depth investigations of a single person, group, event or community.
Typically, data are gathered from a variety of sources and by using several different methods
(e.g. observations & interviews).

The case study research method originated in clinical medicine (the case history, i.e. the
patient’s personal history). In psychology, case studies are often confined to the study of a
particular individual.

The information is mainly biographical and relates to events in the individual's past (i.e.
retrospective), as well as to significant events which are currently occurring in his or her
everyday life.
The case study is not itself a research method, but researchers select methods of data
collection and analysis that will generate material suitable for case studies.

Example : Case studies are widely used in psychology and amongst the best known were the
ones carried out by Sigmund Freud, including Anna O and Little Hans.

Advantages:
1. Provides detailed (rich qualitative) information about a single unit.
2. Provides insight for further research.
3. Permitting investigation of otherwise impractical (or unethical) situations.
4. It is inexpensive.
5. It uses a number of different research methodologies like natural observation,
questionnaire, interview and also psychological tests.

Disadvantage:
1. Can’t generalize the results to the wider population.
2. Researchers' own subjective feeling may influence the case study (researcher bias).
3. Difficult to replicate.
4. Time-consuming.
5. It can be an inefficient process if a small sample size is not effective.

ARCHIVAL METHOD