4.2.1 Observational research and content analysis Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 4

The 20 questions

1. In observational research, what is a participant observer?

   • An observer who watches from outside the activity without taking part, and who has no contact with the people being observed
   • An observer who takes part in the activity being studied, so that the observer also interacts with the people being observed
   • An observer who is paid by the researcher to interview participants about their feelings after each observed event
   • An observer who records the activity on video only, without being present in the room where the behaviour takes place

2. What is the difference between overt and covert observation?

   • Overt observation involves a questionnaire, while covert observation involves a structured interview with the participant
   • Overt observation is always carried out in a laboratory, while covert observation is always carried out in the natural world
   • Overt observation is when participants know they are being observed, while covert observation is when they do not know
   • Overt observation is when participants do not know they are being observed, while covert observation is when they know

3. What is the difference between structured and naturalistic observation?

   • Structured observation is always covert, while naturalistic observation is always overt, with participants aware of the observer
   • Structured observation records only qualitative data, while naturalistic observation records only quantitative data at all times
   • Structured observation takes place in the natural setting with no control, while naturalistic observation uses set categories
   • Structured observation uses set behavioural categories in a controlled setting; naturalistic observation records behaviour as it occurs

4. In event sampling, the observer:

   • records every occurrence of a specific behaviour whenever it happens, counting each instance during the observation period
   • records the participant's thoughts about the event, using a diary that is later read to the research team as a summary
   • records only the first instance of a behaviour, and then stops the observation once that single event has been recorded
   • records the behaviour at fixed time intervals, such as every ten seconds, regardless of what the participant is doing at the time

5. In time sampling, the observer:

   • records only the duration of one behaviour, measured with a single stopwatch from start to finish of the event
   • records the participant's emotional state by asking them to rate their feelings on a scale after every single interval
   • records every occurrence of a behaviour whenever it happens, so that the total count is as complete as possible
   • records the behaviour in a set time interval, such as every 30 seconds, and notes what occurs during each interval

6. What is tallying in observational research?

   • Counting how many times a specific behaviour occurs during the observation period, producing quantitative data
   • Writing a detailed narrative about the events observed, which is used only to generate qualitative themes after the study
   • Asking participants to rate their own behaviour on a scale, which provides subjective data about their feelings at the time
   • Measuring the physical distance between participants during the observation, which is used to infer social closeness

7. Which type of data is most likely to be collected by narrative note-taking in an observation?

   • Biological data, since narrative notes record the hormone levels of participants at the time of each observed event
   • Interval data, since narrative notes are always measured on a scale with equal distances between each recorded point
   • Quantitative data only, since narrative notes always produce numbers that can be entered straight into a statistical test
   • Qualitative data, which describes the behaviour in detail and can be analysed for themes using thematic analysis

8. What is content analysis as a research method?

   • A method of analysing the chemical composition of books and films, which is carried out in a laboratory with a spectrometer
   • A method of analysing media or texts by counting or categorising their content in a systematic and objective way
   • A method of analysing the brain's response to content by scanning participants while they view images on a screen
   • A method of analysing the personal feelings of participants through a structured interview about their reactions to content

9. Why is inter-rater reliability important in observational research?

   • It shows that two or more observers recording the same behaviour agree, which suggests the coding is consistent and reliable
   • It shows that the sample was random, so the results can be generalised to the whole population of people in the study area
   • It shows that the participants are being honest about their behaviour, so the observer can trust the data collected from them
   • It shows that the observation was covert, so participants did not change their behaviour because they knew about the observers

10. A researcher observes children in a playground and records every instance of sharing. Which sampling method is this?

    • Questionnaire sampling, because the researcher is asking children to report whether they have shared toys during the day
    • Time sampling, because the researcher records behaviour at set intervals and notes whether sharing occurred in each interval
    • Content analysis, because the researcher is analysing the text of the children's conversations to find sharing in the transcripts
    • Event sampling, because the researcher records every occurrence of the target behaviour, sharing, whenever it happens in the playground

11. Which is a strength of naturalistic observation?

    • It has high ecological validity, since behaviour is observed in its natural setting, so it is closer to everyday life
    • It has high control over variables, since the researcher can manipulate the setting to test cause and effect directly
    • It has high reliability by default, since natural behaviour never varies between observations or between different observers
    • It has high internal validity, since the researcher can rule out all extraneous variables by using a laboratory setting

12. Which is a limitation of covert observation?

    • It is always less accurate than overt observation, since participants always behave more naturally when they are being watched
    • It cannot produce any data at all, since participants who do not know they are observed cannot be recorded in any way
    • It raises ethical concerns, since participants have not given informed consent to be observed and may not be able to withdraw
    • It is always carried out with animals, so it has no application to human research in any social setting at all

13. Which evaluation point about observational research is most accurate?

    • Observer bias is only a problem for animal research, so it does not need to be considered for human observational studies
    • Observer bias can be eliminated by asking participants to rate the observer's objectivity on a questionnaire after the study
    • Observer bias never affects the data, since trained observers are always perfectly objective in every setting they study
    • Observer bias may affect what is recorded, since observers' expectations can influence how they interpret behaviour

14. A researcher records the number of times a child hits a peer in a 10-minute observation. Which type of data is produced?

    • Biological data, because the number of hits is a measure of the child's testosterone level at the time of the observation
    • Qualitative data, because the number of hits describes the child's feelings about the peer in a detailed narrative form
    • Quantitative data, because the number of hits is a count that can be analysed statistically
    • Ordinal data only, because a count of hits can only be ranked and never added up or compared with other counts at all

15. Which of these is a valid use of content analysis?

    • Counting the number of aggressive acts in a sample of children's television programmes to examine the amount of violence shown
    • Scanning the brains of children while they watch a television programme to find out which regions of the cortex respond
    • Measuring the blood pressure of each person who watches a television programme, to find out how they respond physically
    • Asking children to recall the plot of a television programme after a week, to test their memory of what they have seen

16. Which statement about thematic analysis is most accurate?

    • It involves scanning the brain of each participant while they read the transcript, to find which regions respond to each theme
    • It identifies the hormone levels of participants, which are then used to classify each participant into one of two categories
    • It identifies recurring themes in qualitative data, such as observation notes or interview transcripts, through systematic coding
    • It produces numerical data that can be tested with a chi-squared test, without any coding of the text by the researcher

17. A researcher uses a structured observation schedule with set categories of behaviour. What is the main advantage?

    • It produces data that are easier to compare and quantify, which improves reliability and allows statistical analysis
    • It removes all observer bias, so the researcher does not need to check the reliability of the coding at any point in time
    • It removes the need for any ethical approval, since structured observation is never considered to involve people at all
    • It produces only detailed narratives, which allow the researcher to explore every nuance of each individual's behaviour

18. Which of these is a challenge of naturalistic observation for the researcher?

    • Behaviour is always controlled by the researcher, so the setting can be changed at will to test any cause and effect link
    • Behaviour is always identical in every setting, so the researcher has no need to consider the natural context at all
    • Behaviour is uncontrolled, so the researcher cannot easily identify the cause of any observed behaviour in the setting
    • Behaviour is never observable in the natural setting, so the researcher must always use a laboratory to collect any data

19. A researcher observing aggression in a school decides to keep the observer hidden behind a one-way mirror. Which issue is most relevant?

    • Gender, since the mirror can only be used with boys, so girls must be observed in a different way in each school
    • Informed consent and privacy, since participants are not told they are being observed and cannot withdraw their data
    • Reductionism, since the mirror reduces the aggression of the children to a single number in the observation record
    • Freud's id, since the mirror allows the observer to see the unconscious drives of the children in the school setting

20. Which statement best describes the purpose of inter-observer agreement in content analysis?

    • It checks that the content has no effect on the audience, so the research is free from any influence on viewers at all
    • It checks that different coders categorise the content in the same way, which supports the reliability of the analysis
    • It checks that the content was produced by the same author, so the analysis can be attributed to a single source only
    • It checks that the sample of content is random, so the researcher can generalise the results to all media in the world

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