4.2.3.T2 Observational techniques Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Naturalistic observation involves:

   • Observing behaviour in a controlled laboratory with set conditions and standard tasks
   • Manipulating an IV and measuring a DV across two groups of randomly allocated people
   • Observing behaviour in its natural setting without any manipulation by the researcher
   • Asking participants to complete a structured questionnaire about their daily behaviour

2. Controlled observation differs from naturalistic observation because it:

   • Is carried out by the participants themselves, who record their own behaviour
   • Records only the words people use, ignoring their actions and body language
   • Takes place in a setting where the researcher controls the conditions
   • Involves participants who are unaware that they are being observed at any time

3. Covert observation is one in which:

   • The researcher uses a questionnaire to record behaviour
   • The researcher takes part in the group being studied
   • Participants know they are being observed and agree to it
   • Participants are unaware that they are being observed

4. Overt observation is one in which:

   • Participants know they are being observed
   • The observer records only in a laboratory
   • The researcher is hidden from view throughout
   • Participants do not know they are being observed

5. Participant observation is one in which the researcher:

   • Asks participants to complete a survey during the activity
   • Watches from a distance without any involvement
   • Takes part in the activity or group being observed
   • Controls every variable in a laboratory

6. Non-participant observation is one in which the researcher:

   • Takes part in the group's activities as a full member while recording behaviour
   • Manipulates the independent variable to see how the group responds to change
   • Watches from outside the group without taking part in the activity
   • Interviews every member of the group individually about their experiences

7. A major limitation of covert observation is that it:

   • Prevents the researcher from recording any behaviour, so no data are ever gathered
   • Requires participants to be in a laboratory, which limits the use of the method
   • Always produces results that cannot be recorded in any consistent or reliable form
   • Raises ethical concerns because participants cannot give informed consent

8. A researcher joins a football fan group in secret to study their behaviour. What type of observation is this?

   • Controlled laboratory observation
   • Self-report interview
   • Covert participant observation
   • Overt non-participant observation

9. A researcher watches children in a playground from a distance, and the children do not know they are being watched. What type of observation is this?

   • Covert controlled observation in a laboratory with set tasks and rules
   • Overt structured interview with the children in the playground setting
   • Covert naturalistic non-participant observation
   • Overt controlled participant observation in a laboratory with a group

10. Two observers record the same behaviour independently and their records are compared. What is this checking?

    • Test-retest reliability over two weeks
    • Concurrent validity with an established measure
    • Face validity of the observation checklist
    • Inter-observer reliability

11. A researcher knows which condition participants are in and this influences how they record behaviour. What is this problem?

    • Demand characteristics from the participants
    • Counterbalancing failure
    • Random allocation error
    • Observer bias or expectancy effect

12. Participants change their behaviour because they know they are being watched. What is this phenomenon usually called?

    • The Hawthorne effect, or reactivity
    • The halo effect in observer ratings of others
    • The placebo effect in medicine trials
    • Counterbalancing of the conditions used

13. What is an advantage of overt observation over covert observation?

    • Participants are never influenced by the observer's presence in any way at all
    • The researcher can always stay anonymous, which keeps the observation completely hidden
    • It is always more objective and free of bias, because participants act completely normally
    • Participants have given informed consent and the ethical concerns are reduced

14. Evaluate covert observation of a crowd. Which trade-off is most accurate?

    • It offers high control over variables and has no ethical costs for the participants
    • It can give high ecological validity, but it involves deception and ethical costs
    • It offers no ethical problems and gives high ecological validity in every setting used
    • It is equally ethical and ecologically valid as overt observation in every respect

15. Participant observation carries a risk that the researcher will:

    • Eliminate all observer bias automatically, because the researcher shares the group's views
    • Gain perfect objectivity through involvement, since they understand the group from within
    • Stop being able to record any behaviour, because they are fully absorbed in the activity
    • Lose objectivity by becoming too involved with the group, sometimes called going native

16. Why is a non-participant observer less likely to bias the group being studied?

    • Because they do not join in or influence the group's activities
    • Because they record behaviour using a laboratory tool that is not visible to people
    • Because they change the group's rules so that behaviour is easier to observe
    • Because they are always covert and never seen by any of the group members

17. Naturalistic observation has high ecological validity but low control. What does this mean?

    • Behaviour is controlled in a laboratory with set tasks, but the results do not reflect real life at all
    • Behaviour is recorded with a precise numerical measure but without any context about the setting, people or events
    • Behaviour is always the same in every setting, so the observer does not need to record anything
    • Behaviour is recorded as it naturally occurs, but the researcher cannot manipulate or control the variables

18. A researcher counts how often dogs wag their tails in a park without interfering. Which type of observation is this?

    • Controlled laboratory observation
    • Experimental manipulation
    • Naturalistic observation
    • Structured interview

19. Observational data are often qualitative and open to interpretation. What is the main weakness of this?

    • Observations cannot be linked to any variables, so they cannot be analysed at all
    • Data cannot be recorded in any form, so the observer must rely on memory alone
    • Subjectivity in how the observer interprets and categorises behaviour
    • Participants always refuse to be observed, so no data can be gathered at all

20. Which observational technique involves recording behaviour in a setting where the researcher has arranged the conditions, such as through a one-way mirror in a lab?

    • Naturalistic covert observation
    • Participant observation within a group
    • Controlled observation
    • Structured interview

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