Naturalistic Observation


	Naturalistic Observation
	Advantages Ecological Validity - behaviour is natural and there are no demand characteristics, as the participant is unaware of being observed Theory development - can be a useful way of developing ideas about behaviour that could be tested in more controlled conditions later	Disadvantages Extraneous variables - can't control variables that may affect behaviour Observer bias - observers' expectations may affect what they focus on and record. This means the reliability of the results may be a problem - another observer may have come up with very different results Ethics - you should only conduct observations where people expect to be observed by strangers. This limits the situations where you can do a naturalistic observation. Debriefing is difficult. Observation must respect privacy. Getting informed consent can be tricky.
	Evaluation Involves observing subjects in their natural environment.

Ecological Validity - behaviour is natural and there are no demand characteristics, as the participant is unaware of being observed
Theory development - can be a useful way of developing ideas about behaviour that could be tested in more controlled conditions later

Extraneous variables - can't control variables that may affect behaviour
Observer bias - observers' expectations may affect what they focus on and record. This means the reliability of the results may be a problem - another observer may have come up with very different results
Ethics - you should only conduct observations where people expect to be observed by strangers. This limits the situations where you can do a naturalistic observation. Debriefing is difficult. Observation must respect privacy. Getting informed consent can be tricky.

Involves observing subjects in their natural environment.

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