Dr. Krishnan is going to observe and record children’s play behav
| Dr. Krishnan is going to observe and record children’s play behaviour at a nursery school without their knowing and without attempting to influence , this is:
A. Participant observation
B. Naturalistic observation
C. Non participant observation
D. Controlled laboratory observation
Please scroll down to see the correct answer and solution guide.
Right Answer is: C
SOLUTION
Observational Method:
- Observation is a very powerful tool of psychological enquiry.
- It is an effective method of describing behaviour.
- A scientific observation differs from day-to-day observation in many respects. These are selection, recording, and analysis of data.
Types of Observation:
| Naturalistic Observation | Controlled Observation |
| When observations are done in a natural or real-life setting (in the above example, it was a school in which observation was made), it is called naturalistic observation. In this case, the observer makes no effort to control or manipulate the situation for making an observation. This type of observation is conducted in hospitals, homes, schools, daycare centres, etc. | However, many times you might need to control certain factors that determine behaviour as they are not the focus of your study. For this reason, many of the studies in psychology are conducted in the laboratory. This type of observation, called Controlled Laboratory Observation, actually, is obtained in laboratory experiments. |
| Non-Participant Observation | Participant Observation |
| For example, you want to observe the pattern of interaction between teachers and students in a particular class. There are many ways of achieving this goal. You can install a video camera to record the classroom activities, which you can see later and analyse. Alternatively, you may decide to sit in a corner of the class without interfering or participating in their everyday activities. This type of observation is called non-participant observation. | In participant observation, the observer becomes a part of the school or the group of people being observed. In participant observation, the observer takes some time to establish a rapport with the group so that they start accepting her/him as one of the group members. However, the degree of involvement of the observer with the group being observed would vary depending upon the focus of the study. The |
- Hence, Dr Krishnan would use the method of non-participant observation to observe and record children’s behaviour at play without attempting to influence or control the behaviour.
- He would sit in a corner and observe the children’s behaviour without them being aware of it.
- He would note the behaviour of children while playing, how ’ they interact with each other and their reaction towards winning or losing.
- He would collect all the data in a file and then match the conclusion with the hypothesis.
