A psychological researcher is designing a structured observation to investigate prosocial behaviour in a primary school playground. The researcher decides to use time sampling rather than event sampling. Which of the following describes a key methodological limitation of choosing time sampling for this study?
It is more difficult to manage when target behaviours occur with high frequency and in rapid succession.
Key instances of target behaviour that occur outside the designated observation intervals will be missed, reducing the overall representativeness of the data.
It makes it impossible for independent observers to calculate inter-observer reliability using statistical analysis.
It forces the researcher to adopt a covert role, creating significant ethical issues regarding a lack of informed consent.
644 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Research methods and techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.