AP PSYCHOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODS THINKING CRITICALLY WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND DESCRIPTION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Professor Ober carefully monitors and records the behaviors of children on school playgrounds to track the development of their physical skills. Professor Ober is engaged in:
A
experimentation.
B
replication.
C
survey research.
D
naturalistic observation.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Explanation: In naturalistic observation, researchers will gather data by directly observing the subjects in their natural habitat without making any intervention. This is what Professor Ober is doing.

Detailed explanation-2: -Examples of naturalistic observation include an ethologist’s study of the behavior of chimpanzees and a developmental psychologist’s observation of playing children.

Detailed explanation-3: -Naturalistic observation is the process of observing subjects in their natural setting. Systematic observation looks for certain characteristics and rubrics in observation so that the process is objective.

Detailed explanation-4: -Which of the following would be the best example of a valid naturalistic observation study in driving behavior? Watching footage obtained from cameras set up unobtrustively on various streets.

Detailed explanation-5: -An advantage of naturalistic observation is that it allows the investigators to directly observe the subject in a natural setting. The method gives scientists a first-hand look at social behavior and can help them notice things that they might never have encountered in a lab setting.

There is 1 question to complete.