Observations: Behavioural Categories & Inter-observer Reliability (AQA GCSE Psychology)
Revision Note
Written by: Claire Neeson
Reviewed by: Lucy Vinson
Recording behaviour in an observation
Categories of behaviour are observable behaviours which researchers will be looking out for during the observation
The researchers will have previously agreed on which specific behaviours should be recorded so that all observers are in agreement before the observation
The behaviour categories should be clear and unambiguous, e.g. in an observation of children’s aggression the categories could be:
ABL = Aggressive body language
AGB = Aggressive behaviour
NABG = Non-aggressive behaviour
The behaviour categories have to be operationalised to make sure they are specific and cannot be confused with anything else, for example:
ABL could be subdivided into ‘pointing’, ‘shaking fist’, ‘baring teeth’
AGB could be subdivided into ‘punching’, ‘kicking’, ‘shoving’
NABG could be subdivided into ‘smiling’, ‘arm-linking’, ‘hugging’
These categories could then be arranged into whether it is boys or girls who are being aggressive/non-aggressive and to whom the aggression/non-aggression is directed i.e. at another boy/boys or another girl/girls for even more detail and information
Examiner Tips and Tricks
If you are asked to plan an observational study in the exam, remember that the behavioural categories must be absolutely clear and that only observable behaviour can be recorded. This means that a category such as ‘Annoyed’ would not work (as you cannot objectively observe annoyance, it is a state of mind that can only be inferred from behaviour). In this case, ‘Annoyed’ would have to be translated into a behavioural category such as ‘Frowns’ or ‘Crosses arms’ or ‘Turned-down mouth’. If you can’t see it, you can’t record it!
Inter-observer reliability
Even with categories of behaviour an observation can still be affected by researcher bias
Researchers can test the reliability of their observations by comparing them with another researcher's recording of their behaviours: the level of consistency between the two records is then compared
Inter-observer reliability is the level of consistency between two or more trained observers when they conduct the same observation. This is summarised as follows:
All observers must agree on the behaviour categories and how they are going to record them before the observation begins
The observation is conducted separately by each observer to avoid conformity (i.e. one observer may be influenced by one or more other observers)
After the observational period:
The observers compare the two independent data sets (often designed as a tally chart)
They then test the correlation between the two sets
If there is a strong positive correlation between the sets then this shows that there is good inter-observer reliability and that the behaviour categories are reliable
Establishing good inter-observer reliability means that there is less chance that researcher bias has interfered with the observation
Behaviour | Tally |
Clenches fist |
|
Frowns |
|
Crosses arms |
|
Raises eyebrows |
|
An example of a tally chart with behaviour categories.
Worked Example
Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO2.
AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so (the stem is the example given before the question)
Professor Messi wishes to conduct an observation into littering behaviour in her local town centre.
Question: Suggest two categories of behaviour that the professor could include in her observation. [2]
Model answer:
One category could be: ‘Drops litter’.
Another category could be: ‘Puts litter in the bin’.
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