Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
Read Lesson 1 and watch the videos in the lesson before beginning this assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate naturalistic observation skills and techniques. Researchers and professionals use naturalistic observation in their work with children. For further information on this check out Section 3: Human Relations of the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
Conduct a 15- to 20-minute observation of your own child or the child of a relative or friend. The observation will be confidential, so do not use real names. Remember to objectively describe only what you see and hear. Do not include your personal opinions, feelings, or items you do not hear and see during the observation. Use this Lesson 1 Assignment Template
1.CFS176 Lesson 1 Assignment Template
Observation: Fill in the following information. Save this document and submit it to your instructor using the assignment link in Lesson 1.
Date:
Time Began:
Time Ended:
Location/Place/Setting:
Child's Age or Approximate Age:
Observe and objectively record these elements:
The child's physical movements and behaviors?
What the child says or how the child communicates?
The child's facial and emotional expressions?
The child's interactions with other children or people?
What the child plays with, how the child plays with it, and the child's activities?
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2. to record your observation.
At the end of your observation notes, write an additional two paragraphs that answers the following questions:
From a research perspective, reflect on the observation. Were you objective? Were your observations subjective? Did they reflect bias?
Based on your reflection, how would you change your observation and recording process for children's behaviors in the future?
Sample Solution
My observation was conducted on June 7th, 2021 at 6:45 PM for 15 minutes. The location of the observation was in the living room of a friend's home. The child being observed is approximately 8 years old.
The child's physical movements and behaviors included running around the living room, jumping up and down on the couch, throwing pillows around, and playing with dolls. He communicated by speaking in full sentences to his mother and siblings, making frequent jokes and comments about what he was doing or watching on television. His facial expressions ranged from contentment to excitement as he interacted with others or played with his toys. He also had a few moments of frustration when his siblings interrupted him while playing or when he wasn't allowed to do something that he wanted to do. In regards to interactions with other children/people, he mostly spent time with his siblings but also occasionally engaged in conversations with adults present during the observation period. Lastly regarding activities/play items, some notable items included dolls (which he used for imaginative play), Legos (which were used for building structures), crayons & markers (used for drawing), and teddy bears (used for hugging).
From a research perspective, I believe my observations were fairly objective overall; I made sure not to let any personal feelings interfere with what I saw and heard during my time observing this child's behavior. However, there may have been some subtle bias present due to my relationship with both this particular child as well as all of those present during my observation period; since I am somewhat familiar with them it could be argued that I may have had slightly different expectations than if I were observing someone completely unknown to me instead. Therefore going forward if conducting another naturalistic observation like this one again it would be worth trying harder not only to maintain an unbiased view point but also attempting more actively search out any potential biases before beginning so they can be avoided altogether rather than needing to account for them later after data has already been collected. Furthermore although it likely wasn't significant enough make a major difference in terms of objectivity versus subjectivity within my own observations in order obtain even more accurate results next time ?I would plan ahead better by thinking about which specific pieces of information might need extra attention or clarification prior so nothing gets overlooked throughout the process either unintentionally or otherwise