Q.Distinguish between naturalistic observation and controlled (laboratory) observation, with an example of each.

Naturalistic and controlled observation differ in whether the setting is left exactly as it naturally is, or is deliberately arranged and controlled by the researcher. …

Naturalistic observation and controlled (laboratory) observation differ in the degree of control the researcher exercises over the setting being observed.

Naturalistic observation is conducted in a genuine real-life setting, such as a school, hospital, home or day-care centre, and the observer makes no attempt to control or manipulate the situation in any way; behaviour is simply watched and recorded exactly as it would naturally unfold. Example: observing how children interact during free play in an actual nursery school, without arranging or altering anything about the situation, is naturalistic observation.

Controlled, or laboratory, observation takes place in a setting where the researcher deliberately controls certain factors, precisely because those factors are not the focus of the study but could otherwise distort the results if left uncontrolled. Example: Latane and Darley's study, in which students were placed in a laboratory waiting room and smoke was deliberately introduced through a wall vent under controlled conditions to observe how differently they reacted when alone versus with others present, is controlled observation, since the entire situation (how the smoke entered, how much smoke, the room conditions) was engineered by the researchers rather than occurring naturally. …