Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Naturalistic Observation WorksPros and ConsData Collection MethodsHow Often Is Data Collected?Examples

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Table of Contents

How Naturalistic Observation Works

Pros and Cons

Data Collection Methods

How Often Is Data Collected?

Examples

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It can be useful if conducting lab research would be unrealistic, cost-prohibitive, or would unduly affect the subject’s behavior. The goal of naturalistic observation is to observe behavior as it occurs in a natural setting without interference or attempts to manipulate variables.

This article discusses how naturalistic observation works and the pros and cons of doing this type of research. It also covers how data is collected and examples of when this method might be used in psychology research.

How Does Naturalistic Observation Work?

Naturalistic observation is different than structured observation because it involves looking at a subject’s behavior as it occurs in a natural setting, with no attempts at intervention on the part of the researcher.

For example, a researcher interested in aspects of classroom behavior (such as the interactions between students or teacher-student dynamics) might use naturalistic observation as part of their research.

Performing these observations in a lab would be difficult because it would involve recreating a classroom environment. This would likely influence the behavior of the participants, making it difficult to generalize the observations made.

By observing the subjects in their natural setting (the classroom where they work and learn), the researchers can more fully observe the behavior they are interested in as it occurs in the real world.

Basic Research in Psychology

Naturalistic Observation Pros and Cons

Like other research methods, naturalistic observation has advantages and disadvantages.

ProsMore realisticMore affordableCan detect patternsConsInability to manipulate or control variablesCannot explain why behaviors happenRisk of observer bias

ProsMore realisticMore affordableCan detect patterns

More realistic

More affordable

Can detect patterns

ConsInability to manipulate or control variablesCannot explain why behaviors happenRisk of observer bias

Inability to manipulate or control variables

Cannot explain why behaviors happen

Risk of observer bias

Pros

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.

The observations can also serve as inspiration for further investigations. The information gleaned from naturalistic observation can lead to insights that can be used to help people overcome problems and lead to healthier, happier lives.

Other advantages of naturalistic observation include:

Cons

Naturalistic observation can be useful in many cases, but the method also has some downsides. Some of these include:

It is also important to note that naturalistic observation is a type ofcorrelational research(others include surveys and archival research). A correlational study is a non-experimental approach that seeks to find statistical relationships between variables. Naturalistic observation is one method that can be used to collect data for correlational studies.

While such methods can look at the direction or strength of a relationship between two variables, they cannot determine if one causes the other. As the saying goes, correlation does not imply causation.

Research Methods in Psychology

Researchers use different techniques to collect and record data from naturalistic observation. For example, they might write down how many times a certain behavior occurred in a specific period of time or take a video recording of subjects.

It is rarely practical—or even possible—to observeeverymoment of a subject’s life. Therefore, researchers often use sampling to gather information through naturalistic observation.

The goal is to make sure that the sample of data is representative of the subject’s overall behavior. A representative sample is a selection that accurately depicts the characteristics that are present in the total subject of interest. Arepresentative samplecan be obtained through:

Sampling in Psychology Research

Examples of Naturalistic Observation

Imagine that you want to study risk-taking behavior in teenagers. You might choose to observe behavior in different settings, such as a sledding hill, a rock-climbing wall, an ice-skating rink, and a bumper car ride. After you operationally define “risk-taking behavior,” you would observe your teen subjects in these settings and record every incidence of what you have defined as risky behavior.

Famous examples of naturalistic observations include Charles Darwin’s journey aboard theHMS Beagle, which served as the basis for his theory of natural selection, and Jane Goodall’s work studying the behavior of chimpanzees in their natural habitat.

Takeaway

Naturalistic observation can play an important role in the research process. It offers a number of advantages, including often being more affordable and less intrusive than other types of research.

In some cases, researchers may utilize naturalistic observation as a way to learn more about something that is happening in a certain population. Using this information, they can then formulate a hypothesis that can be tested further.

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mehl MR, Robbins ML, Deters FG.Naturalistic observation of health-relevant social processes: the electronically activated recorder methodology in psychosomatics.Psychosom Med.2012;74(4):410-7. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182545470U.S. National Library of Medicine.Rewriting the book of nature - Darwin and the Beagle voyage.Additional ReadingAngrosino MV.Naturalistic Observation. Left Coast Press.DiMercurio A, Connell JP, Clark M, Corbetta D.A naturalistic observation of spontaneous touches to the body and environment in the first 2 months of life.Front Psychol. 2018;9:2613. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02613Pierce K, Pepler D.A peek behind the fence: observational methods 25 years later. In: Smith PK, Norman JO, eds.The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Bullying. 1st ed. Wiley; 2021:215-232. doi:10.1002/9781118482650.ch12

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mehl MR, Robbins ML, Deters FG.Naturalistic observation of health-relevant social processes: the electronically activated recorder methodology in psychosomatics.Psychosom Med.2012;74(4):410-7. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182545470U.S. National Library of Medicine.Rewriting the book of nature - Darwin and the Beagle voyage.Additional ReadingAngrosino MV.Naturalistic Observation. Left Coast Press.DiMercurio A, Connell JP, Clark M, Corbetta D.A naturalistic observation of spontaneous touches to the body and environment in the first 2 months of life.Front Psychol. 2018;9:2613. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02613Pierce K, Pepler D.A peek behind the fence: observational methods 25 years later. In: Smith PK, Norman JO, eds.The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Bullying. 1st ed. Wiley; 2021:215-232. doi:10.1002/9781118482650.ch12

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Mehl MR, Robbins ML, Deters FG.Naturalistic observation of health-relevant social processes: the electronically activated recorder methodology in psychosomatics.Psychosom Med.2012;74(4):410-7. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182545470U.S. National Library of Medicine.Rewriting the book of nature - Darwin and the Beagle voyage.

Mehl MR, Robbins ML, Deters FG.Naturalistic observation of health-relevant social processes: the electronically activated recorder methodology in psychosomatics.Psychosom Med.2012;74(4):410-7. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182545470

U.S. National Library of Medicine.Rewriting the book of nature - Darwin and the Beagle voyage.

Angrosino MV.Naturalistic Observation. Left Coast Press.DiMercurio A, Connell JP, Clark M, Corbetta D.A naturalistic observation of spontaneous touches to the body and environment in the first 2 months of life.Front Psychol. 2018;9:2613. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02613Pierce K, Pepler D.A peek behind the fence: observational methods 25 years later. In: Smith PK, Norman JO, eds.The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Bullying. 1st ed. Wiley; 2021:215-232. doi:10.1002/9781118482650.ch12

Angrosino MV.Naturalistic Observation. Left Coast Press.

DiMercurio A, Connell JP, Clark M, Corbetta D.A naturalistic observation of spontaneous touches to the body and environment in the first 2 months of life.Front Psychol. 2018;9:2613. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02613

Pierce K, Pepler D.A peek behind the fence: observational methods 25 years later. In: Smith PK, Norman JO, eds.The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Bullying. 1st ed. Wiley; 2021:215-232. doi:10.1002/9781118482650.ch12

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