How to Use Naturalistic Observation on Anti-Social Children

Naturalistic observation is a strategy to gain data without interfering or experimenting with a situation. The researcher allows the situation to develop naturally and watches what happens. For children who are anti-social, the researcher watches the children as they go through their daily routines. The purpose of the study is diagnosis and understanding of the child's behavior. Instead of getting involved in situations, the researcher observes how the child or children handle them.

Things You'll Need

• Cameras
• Notebook, notecards or similar item
• Pen

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Instructions

• 1

  Learn about anti-social behavior in children before setting up observation methods. Anti-social children are often excessively angry, do not react well to authority, refuse to communicate, use aggressive behavior with both other children and adults and are unwilling to cooperate.

• 2

  Determine the appropriate naturalistic setting or observation set up. The naturalistic researcher strives to observe and understand the child's behavior without involvement to determine underlying problems, patterns and potential therapy methods that might work for the child. This means determining an environment to observe that is common to the child's usual routine.

• 3

  Determine appropriate methods of observation. The Naturalistic Observation page on the JRANK website suggests placing cameras in the home or in areas where the child or children are located. This allows the researcher to observe without any risk of interfering or altering the child's situation. This method requires permission from parents. If observing children in school or a laboratory, sit in a location to watch that doesn't get in the way.

• 4

  Write down your observations. The researcher should only note what occurs without writing down thoughts or theories about the actions. Naturalistic observation does not make assumptions about thoughts or unobservable actions, only what is seen. Write down any instances of aggression and the causes of the aggression. When the child shows anger of any kind, such as making a face, yelling, hitting or otherwise displaying anger, make a note of the display. Pay attention to anyone the child talks to and watch who the child avoids most. Write down the observations as soon as possible after the observation to avoid misremembering the event.

• 5

  Watch the children and their behaviors over several days. A clear picture of normal behavior is only achieved when children are watched over time. Anti-social children might not display anti-social behaviors very often one day and might show increased anti-social behaviors on another. Observing over a few days will determine the child's normal behaviors and routines.

• 6

  After the observation portion of the study is complete, look through the data collected. Note any actions that are anti-social, such as rebellion to authority or aggressive actions. Look for every instance where children have gone out of their way to avoid others and how they react when confronted with others. Pay attention to patterns that come out, such as situations that bring out more aggressive behaviors or cooperative actions.

• 7

  Use the data to help parents and educators handle the children. For example, if a specific pattern is shown to make the behaviors worse, help parents and educators recognize the situations that bring out the anti-social behaviors so that they can minimize or avoid them.