Required ResourcesReadings

Stangor, C. (2013). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (4th ed., Laureate Education custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Chapter 7, "Naturalistic Methods"
Chapter 14, "Quasi-Experimental Research Designs"

Optional Resources

Stangor, C. (2011). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. (Note: This reference is only for the PowerPoint version of the course.)

PowerPoint Presentation: Chapter 7
PowerPoint Presentation: Chapter 14

This electronic presentation to be used with Stangor. Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences, 4E. From Stangor. Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences, 4E. © 2011 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission. Text/images may not be modified or reproduced in any way without prior written permission of the publisher. www.cengage.com/permissions

This week our focus will be on naturalistic methods (Chapter 7) and quasi-experimental research designs (Chapter 14).

Please pay close attention to the Discussion Assignment directions for this week. Similar to when you designed, and attached, a Likert-scale to your assignment post a few weeks ago, for this week you will develop an original coding sheet for observing behavior and attach it to your post.
For this week, I especially would like for you to understand why you can't draw causal conclusions in quasi-experimental designs. There are two main conditions that make up quasi-experiments:

1) The variables are measured and not manipulated, and this is called a participant variable design. Participants variables are, for example, gender, age, etc. - and you can't "randomly assign" someone to be a certain gender or age - right?
And,

2) When there can't be random assignment. For example, if you sign up for a weight loss program at work it's very likely that they won't be able to randomly assign you to a condition, rather they just have to take whomever signs up for the program and go from there. These two conditions mean that researchers cannot draw causal conclusions, rather they only can study the relations between variables, thus making the research correlational instead of causal.

Why is this the case? Because you could always argue that something else could be "causing" a relation between the variables. Said another way, when there is no random assignment, you can never be assured that the groups were equivalent to begin with.

Observational Studies and Coding

you learned about correlational studies and one-way experimental designs. This week, you will see that there are many more types of research options. In Chapter 7, you read about naturalistic methods. This type of research is designed to understand behavior in the setting in which it occurs naturally, rather than in a laboratory. It is appealing because it simulates reality. However, it is challenging because the researcher has limited control over the participants and the settings.

Observational research is one of the common types of naturalistic designs. As a researcher, you might hide your identity and blend in with the natural environment (unacknowledged participant). When appropriate, you also may let participants know about the study and reveal your identity (acknowledged participant). In both cases, it is a challenge to measure and record the behavior you are studying. Since you are observing behavior, and not using surveys or other means to collect data from your participants, you need to clearly identify the behavior you are studying and use a coding sheet to track the observed behavior.

In this Discussion, you suggest your own observational study and determine how to code the behavior you wish to study.
To prepare:

Read Chapter 7 in your course text.

Review the coding form example in Figure 7.1 on page 136 of your course text.

Choose a setting where you would enjoy observing behavior. It might be someplace you go everyday (like the grocery store) or it might be a place you would like to go (such as a city park).

Create a coding form for your hypothetical observational study. Use the coding sheet in the course text as an example, but make up something that is entirely your own.

Upload your coding form as an attachment (in doc or rtf format) to your posting.

With these thoughts in mind:

The topic of your hypothetical observational study. This should also be the "Subject" field of your post this week (e.g., "Child Playground Behavior").

In the main body of your post, provide background information on your hypothetical observational study including the setting, why you are interested in this study, and what you hope to learn.

Explain whether you would be an acknowledged or unacknowledged observer and why.

Describe the types of behavior and the episodes you included on your coding form.

Upload the coding form you created as an attached document.

Note: Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Read a selection of your colleagues' postings.