AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Naturalistic observation in psychology is a research methodology used because it records behavior without researcher interference. This applies to both human and animal studies. The issue of causality in this form of research is secondary to an accurate account of exactly what actions are occurring.

Detailed explanation-2: -Naturalistic observation is a qualitative research method where you record the behaviors of your research subjects in real world settings. You avoid interfering or influencing anything in a naturalistic observation. You can think of naturalistic observation as “people watching” with a purpose.

Detailed explanation-3: -It can be useful if conducting lab research would be unrealistic, cost-prohibitive, or would unduly affect the subject’s behavior. The goal of naturalistic observation is to observe behavior as it occurs in a natural setting without interference or attempts to manipulate variables.

Detailed explanation-4: -Naturalistic observation is valuable when a researcher wants to learn more about people in a specific social or cultural setting but can’t gather the information any other way. Sometimes studying people in a lab can impact their behavior, be cost prohibitive, or both.

Detailed explanation-5: -Naturalistic observation is a research method commonly used by psychologists and other social scientists. This technique involves observing involves studying the spontaneous behavior of participants in natural surroundings. The researcher simply records what they see in whatever way they can.