This approach is often used by psychologists and other social scientists.
It is a form ofqualitative research, which focuses on collecting, evaluating, and describing non-numerical data.
This article discusses how naturalistic observation works and the pros and cons of doing this throw in of research.
Illustration by Brianna Gilmartin, Verywell
It also covers how data is collected and examples of when this method might be used in psychology research.
How Does Naturalistic Observation Work?
People do not necessarily behave in a lab setting the way they would in a natural environment.
Performing these observations in a lab would be difficult because it would involve recreating a classroom environment.
This would likely influence the behavior of the participants, making it difficult to generalize the observations made.
Naturalistic Observation Pros and Cons
Like other research methods, naturalistic observation has advantages and disadvantages.
The observations can also serve as inspiration for further investigations.
A correlational study is a non-experimental approach that seeks to find statistical relationships between variables.
Naturalistic observation is one method that can be used to collect data for correlational studies.
As the saying goes, correlation does not imply causation.
Data Collection Methods
Researchers use different techniques to collect and record data from naturalistic observation.
How Often Is Data Collected?
It is rarely practicalor even possibleto observeeverymoment of a subject’s life.
Therefore, researchers often use sampling to gather information through naturalistic observation.
The goal is to ensure that the sample of data is representative of the subject’s overall behavior.
Takeaway
Naturalistic observation can play an important role in the research process.
Using this information, they can then formulate a hypothesis that can be tested further.
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