Observational Method in Psychological Research Essay

Observational Method in Psychological Research - Essay Example One of the characteristic of the observational method of research is that its environment is generally authentic. Even the situation that is studied is subjected to a realistic circumstance that actually generates genuine responses. This characteristic is essential in psychological studies such that the human mind is too complex wherein extensive and intensive observation and monitoring of its activity must be recorded and analysed according to the behaviours observed from the subject of the study. Since the behaviours of the subject of study are natural responses to the actual situations that serve as the one of the factors and conditions being studied. Observational methods enable researchers and practitioners to identify behavioural patterns within the naturalistic contexts at the time during which they actually occur, and, thus, the social validity of these systems is often a strength. (qtd in Lakin, 2005) There are several ways in which observational method in psychological research is delivered. These different approaches in observational method are the participant observation, non-participant observation, structured observation, unstructured observation and naturalistic observation. The observed data gathered through the observation of the various behaviours from each of these approaches involve planned gathering, analysis, and interpretation. As much as the approaches differ from each other, it cannot be avoided that each of the approaches may have an advantage over the others. ("Observational") Depending on the problem of the study and the whole idea of the research, an appropriate observational approach may be identified according to the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. These observational techniques are classified according to the intervention of the observer on the research being conducted. ("Introduction") Naturalistic observation approach is deemed as the most reliable method in studies that involve an observation of specific subjects. ("Observational") The observer in this approach does not intervene in any aspect within the duration of the study. Significantly, the participants involved in the study with whom the behaviours are being observed, do not have an idea that each of their reactions and actions are observed. For all intents and purposes, the researcher is invisible and works hard not to interrupt the natural dynamics of the situation being investigated. ("Introduction") Due to an uninterrupted situation, the participants of the study behave naturally and spontaneously because of the non-intervention and the natural flow of the situation. The researcher becomes more privileged of observing specific behaviours of the participants according to a predetermined set of criteria. For a research study when there is a very limited concept of the research is identified and known by the researcher, this method may also be applicable. The researcher may be able to develop a hypothesis upon observation of the natural situation or event being studied or observed. ("Introduction") However, since the observer or the researcher does not have any control on the situation being studied, he is limited in drawing meaningful conclusions about the causes of a particular behaviour that the subject has exhibited. ("Introduction") Moreover, one of the strongest issues that face naturalistic observation is ethics. Since the participants of the study are not told of the study being conducted, this becomes a violation of

The Rise of African Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rise of African Nationalism - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the concept of African nationalism rose in the post-war period in Africa. This was a turning moment for a people whom centuries of slavery and colonialism had deprived of humanity. Ideologies centered on the theme of nationalism and the essence of nationalism was anti-imperialism. It was a claim and struggle against something. It was an expression of a struggle against denial of humanity, denial of respect and dignity and denial of the African identity. It was the struggle to bring back African mind to Africa as well as a time to end the historical experience of racial humiliation, political oppression, economic exploitation and cultural domination under European slavery. Three components characterized African nationalism and various emphases, accent and formulations occurred in all African nationalists’ thoughts and consciousness. Pan Africanism, Independence, and Racial Equality dominated the continent in the 1950s. Each country ’s actions were focused in opposition to imperial domination and this basic opposition effort is what constituted nationalism. The objective of the struggle varies across historical periods, but the struggle is a common principle. Therefore, it is not so much that nations were searching or struggling for dignity, identity, and independence, but rather a people facing a common problem of domination and exploitation claiming their freedom. Nationalism can be summed up into three elements namely Unity, Independence, and Equality. The three cannot be separated and together they constitute an express African nationalism. African leaders were on the front line in making sure that elements of African nationalism were instilled in the people. For example, Kwame Nkrumah, who studied in the United States and was heavily influenced by the books of African-American theorists such as C.L.R. James and George Padmore, played a major role in introducing Pan-Africanism and articulating the id entity of the African people both on the continent and abroad. As early as 1963, Nyerere once admitted that basically, Pan-Africanism meant African unity.