Background to SiP 2

In SiP 2 Observation, students learn to observe behaviour in a systematic way. Observation is also seen as a form of data collection. The importance here lies in the reliability of the data collected. The reliability of observation is threatened by observer bias, i.e. the systematic errors that occur during observation. A good example of this is cameraman-bias: if the data are collected by means of video, only the observations that fall within range of the camera angle can be included.

After completing this version of this SiP, the student will have acquired knowledge and understanding of and skills in:

• the different types of observer bias;
• the concept of the inter-rater reliability;
• observing the behaviour of people in different psychological settings.

Upon completion of this SiP, the student will be able to:

• with the help of an observation scheme, distinguish relevant human behaviour from two fields of application – clinical & health psychology and organizational psychology – and to observe and report on these fields;
• write a report in which the relevant characteristics of the observed human behaviour is documented stating how the observation was carried out (e.g. how the observation scheme was used);
• use the Cohen’s kappa statistical indicator coefficient as a measure for interpreting inter-rater reliability