Why would behavioral observation be a good research method for studying a high-frequency behavior (e.g., number of words spoken in a day or number of steps taken in a week)?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Curiosity about why observational methods suit high-frequency behaviors invites inspection of each option from multiple angles.
Option 1: 'It is cheaper to collect data than it is to self-report data.' While cost can vary, observational data collection for high-frequency behaviors often requires extensive coding, room-time, and resources to ensure reliability, which can be costly. This answer oversimplifies cost considerations and does not address measurement accuracy for very frequent behaviors.
Option 2: 'Researchers do not need to obtain participant consent for behavioral observation.' In most research contexts, informed consent or at least ethical review and some level of notification are required; assuming no consent is a serious ethical and methodological flaw. This option ignores ethical standards and the potential influence of observation on behavior (reactivity).
Option 3: 'Participants would not be able to accurately keep track of so much data.' For high-frequency behaviors, relying on self-report is prone to forgetting, estimation errors, and biases. Behavioral observation provides objective, continuous data without relying on participants to monitor and record every instance, making this rationale a central advantage.
Option 4: 'It will take less time to collect the data.' In practice, continuous behavioral observation can be time-intensive, requiring observers, coding schemes, and data entry. It often takes longer than self-report or brief assessments, so this statement is commonly false or at least not universally true. It also ignores the ongoing effort needed to maintain reliability over long observation periods.

PSY309H5 F PRA0101 Psy309 Term Test 1

Why would behavioral observation be a good research method for studying a high-frequency behavior (e.g., number of words spoken in a day or number of steps taken in a week)?

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