Covert, Overt & Controlled Observation

Psychology: AQA A Level, topic 7.1.3

You need to know the difference between covert and overt observation. You also need to know what a controlled observation is.

Participants are unaware they are being observed and this reduces demand characteristics; participants act naturally.
However, participants have not given consent and therefore it is unethical. Care must be taken not to invade participant’s privacy. As a general rule, it is permissible to observe people in a public place, where they could reasonably expect that others may witness their behaviour. However, in psychological research you are not allowed to record observations using video or audio equipment without the participants’ consent.

Participants are aware they are being observed.
This is obviously more ethical but leads to demand characteristics (remember how your teachers’ behaviour changed when they had an Ofsted inspector in the room).

Unlike in naturalistic observation, in a controlled observation the researcher has set up a situation and observes what happens.
It is not an experiment as there are no independent and dependent variables.
Mary Ainsworth’s (1969) Strange Situation is an example of a controlled observation.

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