Why might a researcher select to use a naturalistic observation?
A)the opportunity to wait for an event to occur
B)the opportunity to observe spontaneous behavior
C)the opportunity for observers to influence events
D)the opportunity to determine cause and effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation allows the researcher to observe spontaneous behavior as it naturally occurs in its natural setting without any influence or manipulation. It is a good choice when the researcher wants to understand the behavior of a group or population in its natural setting. The researcher can also collect rich and detailed data, which can be used to generate hypotheses for future research. Waiting for events to occur is also possible with naturalistic observation, but this is not the primary reason for using this method. Furthermore, naturalistic observation does not allow for controlling independent variables, so it is not a suitable method for determining cause and effect relationships. Finally, the observer's influence on events is minimized in naturalistic observation.

Why Might a Researcher Select to Use a Naturalistic Observation