observation coding system

a scheme or list of mutually exclusive labels, categories, and so forth—each of which characterizes a coherent dimension of interest—used for classifying information obtained by observing others. It is an essential component of any observational study as it clarifies what data should be collected and how, providing definitions of each code along with examples. For instance, a researcher investigating infant behavior might develop the following observation coding system: (1) quietly alert, (2) crying, (3) fussing, and (4) sleeping. Thus, for every time during a specific observation period that an observer sees the baby acting alert, he or she would record a 1 on his or her data form; for every time the observer sees the baby crying, he or she would record a 2, and so forth.

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Psychology term of the day

February 25th 2025

group

n. any collection or assemblage, particularly of items or individuals. For example, in social psychology the term refers to two or more interdependent individuals who influence one another through social interactions that commonly include structures involving roles and norms, a degree of cohesiveness, and shared goals. Such social groups thus are contrasted with aggregations. Similarly, in animal behavior, a group refers to an organized collection of individuals that moves together or otherwise acts to achieve some common goal (e.g., protection against predators) that would be less effectively achieved by individual action, and in research, it denotes a collection of participants who all experience the same experimental conditions and whose responses are to be compared to the responses of one or more other collections of research participants.