Discuss the role of observation in psychological research

Discuss the role of observation in psychological research, drawing on examples from Chapters 3, 6 and 8 of Investigating Psychology.Relevant materialThe essay question is very exact about the material that you should draw on for this assignment: Chapters 3, 6 and 8 of Investigating Psychology. While many of the sections in these three chapters will contain material relevant to the question (especially when it comes to selecting examples), you may find the following guidance helpful.Chapter 3 looks at Albert Bandura’s research on social learning and aggression. Section 2 introduces the experiment, while Section 3 looks at the interpretation of the results of Bandura et al.’s (1963) experiment. Together these sections cover a number of points useful to this assignment, including the use of observation in an experimental setting.Chapter 6 considers psychological research on friendship. Sections 2, 3 and 4 introduce a number of classic and contemporary studies. For Option B, Section 3.2 is likely to be especially relevant, as it considers the use of observation in a natural setting drawing on the research of Corsaro. Other research examples in these sections are likely to be useful for considering why other techniques are also important in psychological research.Chapter 8 focuses on attention. Although this chapter does not include any examples of observation, it can be used to make important points relevant to the essay. In particular, it can be useful for the evaluative aspect of your essay, and for considering why observation might not be relevant to all areas of psychology. Examples can be drawn from Sections 2 and 3 which outline the experimental work of Broadbent and Cherry, and Section 4 which looks at the neuropsychology of attention.