A review of research regarding methodological advantages and disadvantages of various types of naturalistic observation procedures has produced relatively little since Arrington's (1943) initial recognition of the need for such research. Comparing methods of specimen record and discrete observation produced great discrepancies among behavior frequencies. Factor analyses of correlational matrices generated from high and low frequencies of behavior from small samples of subjects showed that non-i nterpretable factor structures are a likely result of analyses based on small Ns and low frequencies. Finally specific dimensions of behavior frequency were identified across situations, and several of these dimensions were consistent within situations. Theoretical considerations regarding the use of either form of naturalistic observational methodology were presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArringtonR. E.Time sampling studies of social behavior: A critical review of technique and results with research suggestions. Psychological Bulletin, 1943, 40, 81–124.
2.
BarkerR. G.Ecological psychology: Concepts and methods for studying the environment of human behavior. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Univer. Press, 1968.
3.
BarkerR. G.WrightH. F.Midwest and its children. Evanston, Ill.: Row, Peterson, 1955.
4.
BrandtR. M.Studying behavior in natural settings. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1972.
5.
BrogdenH. E.Some observations on two methods in psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 1972, 77, 431–437.
6.
BrunswikE.The conceptual framework of psychology. Vol. 1. International Encyclopedia of Unified Science. Chicago: Univer. of Chicago Press, 1955.
7.
BrunswikE.Perception and the representative design of psychological experiments. Los Angeles: Univer. of California Press, 1956.
8.
GonzalesJ.MartinS.DysartR.A comparison of various methods of recording behavior using the Patterson scoring system. Proceedings of the 81st Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 1973, 8, 53–54.
9.
HarmanH. H.Modern factor analysis. Chicago: Univer. of Chicago Press, 1967.
10.
HuttS. J.HuttC. H.Direct observation and measurement of behavior. Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1970.
11.
JohnsonS.BolstadO.Methodological issues in naturalistic observation: Some problems and solutions for field research. In HamerlynckL. A.HandyL. C.MashE. J. (Eds.), Behavioral change: Methodology, concepts and practice. Champaign, Ill.: Research Press, 1973. Pp. 48–76.
12.
KaiserH. F.The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 1958, 23, 187–200.
13.
LevineA. J.An evaluation of functional ecological psychology. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Univer. of Houston, 1969.
14.
LumpkinM.Walden I and II: A plea for renewed balance in the psychological pursuit of science. American Psychologist, 1970, 25, 1087–1090.
15.
LyttonH.Comparative yield of three data sources in the study of parent-child interaction. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 1974, 20, 53–64.
16.
McGuireW.Some impending reorientations in social psychology. In SnadowskyA. (Ed.), Social psychology research: Laboratory-field relationships. New York: Free Press, 1972. Pp. 2–14.
17.
PinneauS. R.NewhouseA.Measures of invariance and comparability in factor analysis for fixed variables. Psychometrika, 1964, 29, 271–281.
18.
ReidJ. B.Reliability assessment of observation data: A possible methodological problem. Child Development, 1970, 41, 1143–1150.
19.
RomanczykR.KentR.DiamentC.O'LearyD.Measuring the reliability of observational data: A reactive process. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1973, 6, 175–184.
20.
RunkelP. J.McGrathJ. E.Research on human behavior: A systematic guide to method. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1972.
21.
TaplinP.ReidJ.Effects of instructional set and experimenter influence on observer reliability. Child Development, 1973, 44, 547–554.
22.
TolmanE. C.Purposive behavior in animals and men. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967.
23.
WillemsE. P.Behavioral technology and behavioral ecology. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1974, 7, 151–165.
24.
WillemsE. P.RaushH. L. (Eds.) Naturalistic viewpoints in psychological research. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969.
25.
WillemsE. P.VinebergS. E.Direct observations of adults with spinal cord injuries. 12 vols. Houston: Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, 1969.
26.
WrightH. F.Recording and analyzing child behavior. New York: Harper & Row, 1967.
27.
WrigleyC. S.NeuhausJ. O.The matching of two sets of factors. American Psychologist, 1955, 10, 418–419.
28.
YarrowM. R.RaushH. L. (Eds.) Observational methods in research on socialization processes, a report of a conference. Ann Arbor: Committee on Socialization and Social Structure, Social Science Research Council, 1962.
29.
ZinnerL.The consistency of human behavior in various situations: A methodological application of functional, ecological psychology. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Univer. of Houston, 1962.
