naturalistic+observation

toc Definition: A descriptive research method in which researchers observe and record behavior in its natural setting, without attempting to influence or control it. Gen Psych, CH 1, pp.16-17

= Examples: =
 * Bird watching (in the wild).
 * To find out more about memory in older adults, a researcher could observe them in their homes or work places.

= Analogies: = [insert analogies here] (give one or more analogies in place of the bracketed text above, then delete these instructions. Please do not delete instructions unless you are adding something to this section. If you don't know of any analogies, leave this section unchanged for someone else to improve on. See Sample Page for a definition and an example of an analogy.)

= Mnemonics: = [insert mnemonics here] (give a mnemonic in place of the bracketed text above, then delete these instructions. Please do not delete instructions unless you are adding something to this section. If you don't know of any mnemonics, leave this section unchanged for someone else to improve on. See Sample Page for a definition and an example of a mnemonic.)

=In the News:= Naturalistic observations of beer drinking among college students We observed the beer drinking behavior of 308 university students in several bar and party settings. The following relationships were found: males drinking beer in bars consumed 0.92 oz per min; females drank less beer than males, and stayed in a bar for a longer time period; patrons drank significantly more beer when drinking in groups and when purchasing beer in pitchers versus cups or bottles; and intervals between party arrival and first drink and between party departure and last drink varied inversely with blood alcohol concentration. We discuss these findings with regard to developing interventions to prevent alcohol-impaired driving. [] Naturalistic Observations of Spectator Behavior at Youth Hockey Games The purpose of the current study was to conduct an examination of spectator (i.e., parental) behavior at youth hockey games in a large Canadian city. Using naturalistic observation methods, an event sampling procedure was used to code spectators’ comments. Of specific interest were the type of remarks made, who made them (i.e., males versus females), the intensity of those remarks and whether they varied by child age, gender, and competitive level. We were also interested in whether the majority of onlookers’ comments were actually directed at the players, on-ice officials, or fellow spectators. Five observers attended 69 hockey games during the 2006–2007 hockey season. There was a significant variability in the number of comments made, with an average of 105 comments per game. []

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