Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts : Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework
Anguera Argilaga, María Teresa (Universitat de Barcelona. Institut de Neurociències)
Portell Vidal, Mariona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de Ciències de la Salut)
Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador (Universidad Autónoma de Chile)
Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana (Universidad de Sevilla. Facultad de Psicología)

Data:	2018
Resum:	Indirect observation is a recent concept in systematic observation. It largely involves analyzing textual material generated either indirectly from transcriptions of audio recordings of verbal behavior in natural settings (e. g. , conversation, group discussions) or directly from narratives (e. g. , letters of complaint, tweets, forum posts). It may also feature seemingly unobtrusive objects that can provide relevant insights into daily routines. All these materials constitute an extremely rich source of information for studying everyday life, and they are continuously growing with the burgeoning of new technologies for data recording, dissemination, and storage. Narratives are an excellent vehicle for studying everyday life, and quantitization is proposed as a means of integrating qualitative and quantitative elements. However, this analysis requires a structured system that enables researchers to analyze varying forms and sources of information objectively. In this paper, we present a methodological framework detailing the steps and decisions required to quantitatively analyze a set of data that was originally qualitative. We provide guidelines on study dimensions, text segmentation criteria, ad hoc observation instruments, data quality controls, and coding and preparation of text for quantitative analysis. The quality control stage is essential to ensure that the code matrices generated from the qualitative data are reliable. We provide examples of how an indirect observation study can produce data for quantitative analysis and also describe the different software tools available for the various stages of the process. The proposed method is framed within a specific mixed methods approach that involves collecting qualitative data and subsequently transforming these into matrices of codes (not frequencies) for quantitative analysis to detect underlying structures and behavioral patterns. The data collection and quality control procedures fully meet the requirement of flexibility and provide new perspectives on data integration in the study of biopsychosocial aspects in everyday contexts.
Ajuts:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad PSI2015-71947-REDT Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad EP2015-66069-P Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014-SGR-971
Nota:	Altres ajuts: This research was also funded by the project Methodological quality and effectiveness from evidence (Chilean National Fund of Scientific and Technological Development -FONDECYT-, reference number 1150096). Lastly, first author also acknowledge the support of University of Barcelona (Vice-Chancellorship of Doctorate and Research Promotion), and second author also acknowledge the support of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Indirect observation ; Mixed methods ; Textual materials ; Verbal behavior ; Systematic observation ; Quantitizing
Publicat a:	Frontiers in psychology, Vol. 9 (january 2018) , ISSN 1664-1078

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00013
PMID: 29441028

20 p, 967.5 KB

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