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Observational Methods for Assessing Psychological State

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Handbook of Research Methods in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Interest in the emotional responding of subjects has a well-established and important role in many sectors of the behavioral and biological sciences. As such, methods for describing the current psychological state of subjects need to be given careful attention. Investigators have become increasingly aware of problems associated with requesting immediate self-reports from subjects regarding their emotional state. An important and potentially effective alternative to self-report approaches is to gather data on emotional state through observational procedures. The purpose of this chapter is to review some of the better alternatives available for conducting such assessments both with individual subjects and during dyadic interactions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA

    Daniel L. Tennenbaum

  2. Division of Family Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA

    Theodore Jacob

Authors
  1. Daniel L. Tennenbaum
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  2. Theodore Jacob
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA

    Neil Schneiderman

  2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Stephen M. Weiss  & Peter G. Kaufmann  & 

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© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Tennenbaum, D.L., Jacob, T. (1989). Observational Methods for Assessing Psychological State. In: Schneiderman, N., Weiss, S.M., Kaufmann, P.G. (eds) Handbook of Research Methods in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine. The Springer Series in Behavioral Psychophysiology and Medicine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0906-0_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0906-0_34

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0908-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0906-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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