In psychology research, there are two main ways to gather information: observations and surveys. Each of these methods has a different purpose.

Observations:

• Observations are when researchers watch people in their everyday settings.
• For example, a psychologist might sit at a playground and watch how children play to learn about their social behavior.

Surveys:

• Surveys are when researchers ask people questions, usually using a questionnaire.
• For example, a survey might ask students about how they study and how stressed they feel.

Key Differences:

1. Data Collection:

   • Observations give researchers real-time data because they are watching actions as they happen.
   • Surveys depend on what people say about themselves, which can sometimes be unreliable.

2. Detail:

   • Observations can give a lot of detail about a specific situation.
   • Surveys can ask a lot of different questions and cover many subjects, but they might not go as deep into each topic.

Knowing these differences helps researchers pick the best method for their studies!