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Differentiate naturalistic and experimental designs

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Descriptive research as the name suggests aims at describing the set of phenomena under investigation. Descriptive studies are mainly undertaken in the natural setting with minimal controls. They include designs such as naturalistic observations, case studies, surveys, and self-reports. This method can help you describe targeted behavior that is related to the cognitive process. However, they are limited in explaining why behavior occurs.
Naturalistic involves observation of behavior in its natural setting uninfluenced by the researcher. They are descriptive in nature and therefore do not allow inferences. This method provides means of studying psychological constructs that cannot be controlled. For example, a researcher may watch children playing a mathematical game to find out if play enhances the development of mathematical skills. Naturalistic observations are extremely important in the initial stages to gain ideas about the problem of interest.

Chatelaine answered the question on June 16, 2021 at 12:03

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