Title: Descriptive Research Design - Observing a Phenomenon
Headings: Descriptive Research Design
Descriptive Research Design
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Content: Descriptive Research Design - Observing a Phenomenon
Descriptive Research Design
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Descriptive Research Design
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Martyn Shuttleworth 494.2K reads
Descriptive research design is a scientific method which involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in any way. This article is a part of the guide: Select from one of the other courses available: Scientific Method Research Design Research Basics Experimental Research Sampling Validity and Reliability Write a Paper Biological Psychology Child Development Stress & Coping Motivation and Emotion Memory & Learning Personality Social Psychology Experiments Science Projects for Kids Survey Guide Philosophy of Science Reasoning Ethics in Research Ancient History Renaissance & Enlightenment Medical History Physics Experiments Biology Experiments Zoology Statistics Beginners Guide Statistical Conclusion Statistical Tests Distribution in Statistics
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1 Research Designs
2 Basics
2.1 Pilot Study
2.2 Quantitative Research Design
2.3 Qualitative Research Design
2.4 Quantitative and Qualitative Research
3 Descriptive Research
3.1 Case Study
3.2 Naturalistic Observation
3.3 Survey Research Design
3.4 Observational Study
4 Covariance
4.1 Case-Control Study
4.2 Cohort Study
4.3 Longitudinal Study
4.4 Cross Sectional Study
4.5 Correlational Study
5 Semi-Experimental
5.1 Field Experiments
5.2 Quasi-Experimental Design
5.3 Identical Twins Study
6 Experimental
6.1 Experimental Design
6.2 True Experimental Design
6.3 Double Blind Experiment
6.4 Factorial Design
7 Review
7.1 Literature Review
7.2 Systematic Reviews
7.3 Meta Analysis
1 Research Designs 2 Basics 2.1 Pilot Study 2.2 Quantitative Research Design 2.3 Qualitative Research Design 2.4 Quantitative and Qualitative Research 3 Descriptive Research 4 Covariance 4.1 Case-Control Study 4.2 Cohort Study 4.3 Longitudinal Study 4.4 Cross Sectional Study 4.5 Correlational Study 5 Semi-Experimental 5.1 Field Experiments 5.2 Quasi-Experimental Design 5.3 Identical Twins Study 6 Experimental 6.1 Experimental Design 6.2 True Experimental Design 6.3 Double Blind Experiment 6.4 Factorial Design 7 Review 7.1 Literature Review 7.2 Systematic Reviews 7.3 Meta Analysis
Many scientific disciplines, especially social science and psychology, use this method to obtain a general overview of the subject. Some subjects cannot be observed in any other way; for example, a social case study of an individual subject is a descriptive research design and allows observation without affecting normal behavior. It is also useful where it is not possible to test and measure the large number of samples needed for more quantitative types of experimentation. These types of experiments are often used by anthropologists, psychologists and social scientists to observe natural behaviors without affecting them in any way. It is also used by market researchers to judge the habits of customers, or by companies wishing to judge the morale of staff.