Final answer:
Observational research is the process where teachers or professionals observe a student in various settings to take notes on performance and behavior for behavior plans and comprehensive assessments. It includes both naturalistic and structured observation and must account for the Hawthorne effect, which can influence participants' behaviors due to the awareness of being observed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process you are describing, where teachers or professionals observe a student in various settings and take notes on performance and behaviors, is called observation or observational research. This approach is very useful for creating behavior plans and conducting comprehensive assessments. Observational research allows evaluators to see how behaviors and interactions occur naturally in different environments, such as classrooms, medical settings, or during various activities. It can involve both naturalistic observation, where behaviors are observed without interference in their natural contexts, and structured observation, where individuals are observed performing specific tasks.
For instance, in educational settings, researchers may observe how teachers and artists collaborate in delivering curricula. Observations may highlight varying levels of participation and commitment from teachers, which can influence the program's effectiveness. In medical settings, observations may reveal how a standardized curriculum is adapted and presented differently across various contexts and how those differences impact participant knowledge and understanding of the condition. Observational research, like the Strange Situation by Mary Ainsworth, is also employed extensively in developmental psychology to assess attachment styles between infants and caregivers.
However, one must be mindful of the Hawthorne effect, which occurs when individuals alter their behavior due to the awareness of being observed. This effect can introduce a level of bias in observational studies, as it may not accurately represent natural, unaltered behaviors.