Objectives: After completing this class, you will be able to:

• Identify situations in which the use of direct observation, including observation of trace measures, is appropriate for data collection
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of direct observation techniques, protocolos, and instrumentation that are reported in the research literature
• Assess the impact of weaknesses in the protocols, instrumentation and techniques used in observation on your ability to apply research findings in your work
• Develop protocols for direct observation, including all instrumentation needed
• Test the protocol and instruments, using qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess the validity and reliability of procedures and instruments

Assigned Readings

Bryman Ch. 11 in Third Ed.

Angrosino, M.V. (2007) Naturalistic observation. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, CA. pp. 31-42. e-reserve

Mulhall, A. (2003) In the field: Notes on observation in qualitative research. Journal of Advanced Nursing 41(3), 306-313.

Brewer, C.J. & Jones, R.L. (2002) A five-stage process for establishing contextually valid systematic observation instruments: the case of Rugby Union. The Sport Psychologist 16, 138-159. Skim this article -- do not read in detail -- bring to class.

Research Review Articles

Gavin, M.C., Solomon, J.N. & Blank, S.G. (2009) Measuring and monitoring illegal use of natural resources. Conservation Biology 24(1), 89-100.

Harvey, E.A., Friedman-Weieneth, J.L., Miner, A.L. et al. (2009) The role of ethnicity in observers' ratings of mother-child behavior. Developmental Psychology 45(6), 1497-1508.

Additional Resources

Baxter, S.D., Thompson, W.O., Litaker, M.S. et al. (2003). Accuracy of fourth-graders' dietary recalls of school breakfast and school lunch validated with observations: in-person versus telephone interviews. Journal of Nutrition Education & Behavior, 35, 124-134.

Bernard, H.R. (2000). Social Research Methods. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Read Ch. 10, Direct and Indirect Observation, pp. 375-408. Get from Dr. Swisher.

Fiese, B.H., Winter, M.A., Wamboldt, F., Anbar, R.D. & Wamboldt, M.Z. (2010). Do family mealtime interactions mediate the association between asthma symptoms and separation anxiety? Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry 51(2), 144-151.

Gardner, F. (2000) Methodological issues in the direct observation of parent-child interactions: do observational findings reflect the natural behavior of participants? Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 3(3), 185-198.

Gavin, M.C., Solomon, J.N. & Blank, S.G. (2010). Measuring and monitoring illegal use of natural resuorces. Conservation Biology 24(1), 89-100.

Gergen, K.J. (2001) Psychological science in a postmodern context. American Psychologist 56, 803-813.

Glaser, J.M. (1996) The challenge of campaign watching: seven lessons of participant-observation research. Political Science & Politics 29, 533-537.

Harvey, A., Baker, R., Morris, M.E. et al. (2010). Does parent report measure performance? A study of the construct validity of the Functional Mobility Scale. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 52(2), 181-185.

Harvey, E.A., Friedman-Weieneth, J.L., Miner, A.L., Bartolomei, R.J. et al. (2009). The role of ethnicity in observers' ratings of mother-child behavior. Developmental Psychology 45(6), 1497-1508.

Howe, G.W., Dagne, G. & Brown, C.H. (2005). Multilevel methods for modeling observed sequences of family interaction. Journal of Family Psychology 19(1), 72-85.

Jordet, G., Hartman, E. & Sigmundstad, E. (2009). Temporal links to performing under pressure in international soccer penalty shootouts. Psychology of Sport & Exercise 10(6), 621-627.

Kavanaugh, P.R. & Anderson, T.L. (2009). Managing physical and sexual assault risk in urban nightlife: Individual- and environmental-level influences. Deviant Behavior 30(8), 680-714.

Lawton, M.P. (2001). The physical environment of the person with Alzheimer's disease. Aging & Mental Health 5(Supplement 1), S56-S64.

Lewis-Smithson, C., Mogge, N.L. & LePage, J.P. (2010). A comparison of the Behavioral Observation System (BOS) with clinician ratings of psychosis and mania. Journal of Clinical Psychology 66(3), 333-338.

Mitchell, S.A., Miles, C.L., Brennan, L., & Matthews, J. (2010). Reliability of the School Food Checklist for in-school audits and photograph analysis of children's packed lunches. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics. 23(1), 48-53.

Neuman, W.L. (2004) Basics of Social Research. Pearson, Boston. See Ch. 11, pp. 266-278.

Sommer, R. & Sommer, B. (2002) Mapping and Trace Measures, pp. 63-80 in A Practical Guide to Behavioral Research. Oxford, New York. Describe the key components of the technique, why it is useful and how it should be incorporated into other data collection methods.

Tang, R. & Gavin, M.C. (2010). Traditional ecological knowledge informing resource management: Saxoul conservatin in Inner Mongolia, China. Society & Natural Resources 23(3), 193-206.

Timmerman, I.G.H., Vastenburg, N.C. & Emmelkamp, P.M.G. (2001) The Forensic Inpatient Observation Scale (FIOS): development, reliability and validity. Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health 11, 144-162.

Whitley, R. & Crawford, M. (2005) Qualitative Research in Psychiatry. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 50(2), 108-114.

Some Studies Using Observation & Trace Measures

Barrett, E. (2002). The geography of the Rio Grande Pueblos in the Seventeenth Century. Ethnohistory 49(1), 123-170.

Brewster, Z.W. (2003) Behavioral and interactional patterns of strip club patrons: tipping techniques and club attendance. Deviant Behavior 24, 221-243.

Brown, K.R. (2009) The social dynamics and durability of moral boundaries. Sociological Forum 24(4), 854-876.

Cosgrove, L. & Flynn, C. (2005) Marginalized mothers: parenting without a home. Analyses of Social Issues & Public Policy 5(1), 127-143.

Gair, G. & Hartery, T. (2001) Medical dominance in multidisciplinary teamwork: a case study of discharge decision-making in a geriatric assessment unit. Journal of Nursing Management 9, 3-11.

Graham, K. & Wells, S. (2001) Aggression among young adults in the social context of the bar. Addiction Research & Theory 9(3), 193-219.

Grazian, D. (2004) The production of popular music as a confidence game: the case of the Chicago blues. Qualitative Sociology 27(2), 137-158.

Grescoe, T. (1996). Murder, he mapped. Canadian Geographic 116(5), 48-52.

Juul-Kristensen, B., Hansson, G.A., Fallentin, N., Andersen, J.H. & Ekdahl, C. (2001) Assessment of work postures and movements using a video-based observation method and direct technical measurements. Applied Ergonomics 32, 517-524.

Kato, Y. & Takeuchi, Y. (2003). Individual differences in wayfinding strategies. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 23, 171-188.

Lee, J.P., Moore, R.S. & Martin, S.E. (2003) Unobtrusive observations of smoking in urban California bars. Journal of Drug Issues 33(4), 984-999.

Lundrigan, S. & Canter, D. (2001). A multivariate analysis of serial murderers' disposal site location choice. Journal of Environmental Psychology 21, 423-432.

Pullen, R., Ortloff, V., Casey, S. & Payne, J. (2000). Analysis of academic misconduct using unobtrusive research: a study of discarded cheat sheets. College Student Journal 34(4), 616-625.

Sampson, R.J. & Raudenbush, S.W. (1999). Systematic social observation of public spaces: A new look at disorder in urban neighborhoods. American Journal of Sociology 105(3), 603-651.

Singer, M., Stopka, T., Siano, C. et al. (2000) The social geography of AIDS and hepatitis risk: qualitative approaches for assessing local differences in sterile-syringe access among injection drug users. American Journal of Public Health 90(7), 1049-1056.

Smart, L.R. & Bisogni, C.A. (2001) Personal food systems of male college hockey players. Appetite 37, 57-70.

Sousa, L., Galante, H., Batel, A. & Hespanha, P. (2003). Observing cities' social inequalities: a cartographic case study of Aveiro, Portugal. Cities 20(4), 241-252.

Strina, A., Cairncross, S., Barreto, M.L., Larrea, C. & Prado, M.S. (2003) Childhood diarrhea and observed hygiene behavior in Salvador, Brazil. American Journal of Epidemiology 157, 1032-1038.

Zacharias, J. (2001). Path choice and visual stimuli: signs of human activity and architecture. Journal of Environmental Psychology 21, 341-352.