Investigación observacional
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Overview
Fuente: Laboratorios de Gary Lewandowski, Dave Strohmetz y Natalie Ciarocco — Universidad de Monmouth
Si usted quiere saber cómo una persona piensa o siente, puede pedir esa persona preguntas. Otro enfoque es observar cómo la persona actúa o buscar indicadores de cómo han actuado en el pasado. Mientras que observaciones parece reveladoras, no siempre es fácil saber si son verdaderamente exactos. Por ejemplo, puede ver a una persona sonriendo y asumir son felices, cuando en realidad son molestadas y simplemente ser Cortés.
El propósito de la ciencia es ir más allá de un individuo propio puntos de vista de uno mismo porque ellos son inherentemente sesgadas por que las expectativas del individuo, previas experiencia, prejuicios personales, motivaciones, emociones, etcetera. Mientras que una persona puede tener una visión única en uno que uno mismo, estos conocimientos no exactamente puede representar la realidad. Más sencillamente, lo que una persona dice, no siempre coincide con para arriba bien con lo que realmente hacen. Por esta razón, los investigadores deberían incorporar una variedad de medidas (por ejemplo, solicitando a los participantes para informar cómo se sienten, pero también observando comportamiento real) a fin de capturan más con precisión cómo realmente se siente la persona.
Este video muestra un diseño correlacional, donde los investigadores medir la nostalgia de los estudiantes de dos maneras distintas: (1) una escala de nostalgia y (2), observando cómo el estudiante ha decorado su dormitorio.
Estudios psicológicos suelen ser de mayores tamaños de muestra que los estudios en otras ciencias. Un gran número de los participantes ayuda a garantizar que la población en estudio está mejor representada, es decir, el margen de error acompañado por estudiar el comportamiento humano se explica suficientemente. En este video, se demuestra este experimento utilizando sólo uno de los participantes. Sin embargo, según lo representado en los resultados, se utilizó un total de 63 participantes para llegar a conclusiones del experimento.
Procedure
Results
After collecting data from 63 people, a correlation was performed between the participants’ score on the homesickness scale and the observer’s score of their room to determine if a visual inspection of a student’s room can indicate their degree of homesickness (Figure 2). The results indicate that participants who scored higher on the homesickness scale had more indicators of homesickness in their dorm room.
The results of this study are similar to another study by Gosling and colleagues, which showed that individuals’ offices and living spaces were good indicators of their personality.2
Figure 2. Correlation between Homesickness Scale and dorm room observation scores.
Applications and Summary
This correlational study shows that a person’s behavior, even something as simple as how they decorate their room, can indicate how they feel (i.e., how homesick they are).
Using observations of another person to infer that person’s feelings or thoughts can be difficult. However, research has found evidence that we can be accurate in our observational inferences. A study in Psychological Science found that observers could accurately infer personality characteristics from a person’s Facebook profile.3
References
- Archer, J., Ireland, J., Amos, S., Broad, H., & Currid, L. Derivation of homesickness scale. British Journal of Psychology. 89 (2), 205-221. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1998.tb02681.x (1998).
- Gosling, S. D., Ko, S., Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. A room with a cue: Personality judgments based on offices and bedrooms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 82 (3), 379-398. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.82.3.379 (2002).
- Back, M. D., Stopfer, J. M., Vazire, S., Gaddis, S., Schmukle, S. C., Egloff, B., & Gosling, S. D. Facebook profiles reflect actual personality, not self-idealization. Psychological Science. 21 (3), 372-374. doi:10.1177/0956797609360756 (2010).
Transcript
Observational research incorporates a variety of measurement methods to accurately capture authentic information.
For example, psychologists use questionnaires to inquire how someone thinks or feels, and individual observations to examine current or past behavior.
This video demonstrates how to design and perform an observational study, as well as how to analyze the data and interpret the results measuring students’ homesickness.
In this experiment, the notion of homesickness is investigated—defined here as the distress and functional impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from home and people and things you’re familiar with.
To measure homesickness level, two distinct methods are used to correlate participants’ perceptions of how they feel with actual observations.
In the first method, participants are given a questionnaire called the Homesickness Scale and asked to rate how true statements are to them on a scale of 1 to 4.
For the second method, participants’ apartments are observed by two individuals who are trained to look for evidence of homesickness, such as pictures of parents, family, friends from home; logos from their high school; and a low presence of university paraphernalia.
The hypothesis then is that participants who score highly on the homesickness questionnaire will have living spaces that also reflect how they feel.
To begin the experiment, guide each participant through the informed consent process, which consists of a brief description of the research and a sense of the procedure.
After handing the participant a packet that includes the Homesickness Scale and several other questionnaires, allow them time to complete all of the forms. Note that additional questionnaires are included to mask the true purpose of the study.
Once the participant has completed the questionnaires, instruct them to leave with two observers to visit their apartment. The same two observers visit all participants’ living spaces to ensure that scoring is unbiased and consistent.
When arriving at the apartment, confirm that you have permission to look around and then ask the participant to open drawers and closets. If any pictures are present, clarify who appears in them. Remember that both observers take notes of what they see during the visit.
At the end of the inspection, debrief the participant as to the true nature of the study and explain why deception was necessary. In the event that participants are experiencing any homesickness, refer them to the counseling center.
Immediately after the inspection, discuss and review observation notes and then score the participant’s level of homesickness on a scale of 1 to 7, with higher numbers corresponding to more evidence of homesickness.
To analyze the data, plot each participant’s score on the homesickness scale against the observer’s score of their apartment. Perform a correlational analysis to determine if a relationship exists between the two measures.
Notice that participants who scored higher on the homesickness scale had more indicators of homesickness in their room. Thus, the two measures are positively correlated.
Now that you are familiar with how experimental psychologists integrate observational measurements, let’s look at other ways observation can be applied.
Recently, researchers have found that observers looking at online profiles could accurately infer the personality characteristics of the person who made the profile.
In another study, researchers used a combination of clinical surveys and handwriting samples to investigate the link between fine motor control disorders and psychosis during adolescence.
In this case, individuals rated as high risk for psychosis had pen movements that were less smooth than controls, suggesting that handwriting could be used as a diagnostic tool.
You’ve just watched JoVE’s introduction to observational research. Now you should have a good understanding of how to setup and perform an experiment, as well as analyze and assess the results.
Thanks for watching!