Naturalistic Observational Field Techniques for Traffic Psychology Research

Publisher Summary Naturalistic observation is a hallmark of scientific inquiry and is central to many empirical data collection efforts. There are two main strengths of this method. The first is that it taps directly into the behavior of interest and does not rely on having to interpret proxies of behaviors such as self-reports. Second, because the behaviors observed occur in natural settings, naturalistic observation has strong construct and face validity; that is, it very likely represents reality than argument that is more difficult to make with other research methods, such as a driving simulator. On the other hand, naturalistic observation as a research method has some drawbacks. The main disadvantage is generalizability. The value of naturalistic observation techniques to any area of traffic psychology is dependent on how well the study is designed and executed. A study with a flawed design will not yield results that are generalizable, and even a well-designed study will not be useful if the observational methods are not valid and reliable. Thus naturalistic observational studies require appropriate study designs, reproducible protocols, extensive observer training, and adequate resources to yield valid and generalizable results.