sardar patel university of police ,security and criminal justice . Psychology research method . source of PPT acquired from ncert book.

2. WHAT IS OBSERVATION ?
• THE ACTION OR PROCESS OF OBSERVING SOMETHING OR SOMEONE CAREFULLY IN ORDER TO GAIN
INFORMATION.
• THE ACTION OR PROCESS OF CLOSELY OBSERVING OR MONITORING SOMETHING OR SOMEONE.

3. OBSERVATION METHOD
• IT IS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF DESCRIBING BEHAVIOUR.
• IT IS ALSO A PLANNED ACTIVITY WHICH NOTICE EACH AND EVERY MINUTE ACTIVITY AND COLLECT DATA
FOR ANALYSIS .
• IN BROAD SENSE IT IS USED TO EXPLORE SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF A PERSON OR GROUP .

4. •A SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION DIFFERS FROM DAY-TO-DAY OBSERVATION IN MANY RESPECTS.
• THESE ARE :
1. SELECTION : SELECT A PARTICULAR BEHAVIOUR FOR OBSERVATION.
2. RECORDING : RECORD SELECTED BEHAVIOUR (TAKING NOTES , VIDEO , SYMBOLS ).
3. ANALYSIS OF DATA : ANALYSE THE RECORDED DATA TO MAKE MEANING OUT OF IT .

5. TYPES OF OBSERVATION
•THERE ARE TWO KIND OF OBSERVATION :
A. PARTICIPANT B. NON-PARTICIPANT

6. PARTICIPANT
• THE OBSERVER MAY BECOME PART OF THE GROUP BEING OBSERVED. 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.
• IT ENABLES THE RESEARCHER TO STUDY PEOPLE AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR IN A NATURALISTIC SITUATION,
AS IT OCCURS.

7. NON-PARTICIPANT
• DECIDE TO OBSERVE THE PERSON OR EVENT FROM A DISTANCE. THE PERSON BEING OBSERVED MAY NOT
BE AWARE THAT S/HE IS BEING OBSERVED.
• 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.
• THE DANGER IN THIS TYPE OF SETUP IS THAT THE VERY FACT THAT SOMEONE (AN OUTSIDER) IS SITTING
AND OBSERVING MAY BRING A CHANGE IN THE BEHAVIOUR.

8. ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE
• THE ADVANTAGE OF THE OBSERVATION METHOD IS THAT IT ENABLES THE RESEARCHER TO STUDY PEOPLE
AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR IN A NATURALISTIC SITUATION, AS IT OCCURS.
• DISADVANTAGE :THE OBSERVATION METHOD IS LABOUR INTENSIVE, TIME CONSUMING, AND IS
SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE OBSERVER’S BIAS. BECAUSE OF OUR BIASES WE MAY INTERPRET THINGS IN A
DIFFERENT WAY THAN WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS MAY ACTUALLY MEAN.
THE OBSERVER SHOULD RECORD THE BEHAVIOUR AS IT HAPPENS AND SHOULD NOT INTERPRET THE
BEHAVIOUR AT THE TIME OF OBSERVATION ITSELF.