Naturalistic Observations

People tend to act differently when they know they are being observed. If researchers are interested in studying realistic phenomenon, they must strive to be as inconspicuous as possible when carrying out their research.

Specifically, they’ll employ naturalistic observation—a research method of unobtrusively watching behaviors in their natural setting—to ensure people are acting accurately, as they would normally.

For example, researchers may be interested in exploring how many times people actually pick up litter off the ground in the park compared to how often they complain about the clutter and don’t help. They could attach cameras to trees in a park—which the park-goers would soon forget about—and watch their behavior from a distance.

Because the participants are unaware of the researchers’ presence, they’ll behave as they would any other day. One person may complain how annoying it is that other people don’t pick up after themselves, but never throw away a piece of trash either.

However, if they saw any of the researchers observing them, they may alter their behavior—and pick up more trash—to impress others.

Thus, one of the major benefits of naturalistic observation is its hi