After reading this chapter, you should be able to

8.1 Identify the naturalistic research design and distinguish between natural and contrived research settings.

8.2 Describe and apply techniques researchers use to quantify and manage observation periods in a naturalistic setting.

8.3 Define the existing data design and identify two cautions for selecting data from existing records.

8.4 Identify and describe three existing data research designs: archival research, content analysis, and meta-analysis.