Observation according to the Tavistock model as a research tool: remarks on methodology, education and the training of researchers

Abstract

Infant Observation was initially conceived and designed as an element of training courses for psychoanalytic clinicians. A number of applications of the method have emerged since then, including interventions using participant observation, the observation of people in different age groups, notably older people, and research. The number of research projects using observation on the Tavistock/ Bick model as a research tool is increasing. This development has raised many questions about methodology and about the training of researchers which have been addressed in several Viennese research projects. From this background, some tasks and characteristics of training are described which are related to the observers' role as researchers and three phases of the research process. Readers' attention is also directed to the emotional dynamics seminar leaders have to consider and the containment they have to provide when the observation process is linked with a research aim. The paper also considers aspects of methodology when using naturalistic observation as a research tool, in terms of modifications of the original Tavistock/Bick model and to its inclusion within the broad scope of qualitative research methods.

Toddlers’ transition to out-of-home day care: Settling into a new care environment

“…The study would have been strengthened if video observations had been carried out more intensively over the first few days of the toddlers attending childcare without their parents present, and if they had taken place over a longer period of time. However, qualitative observations according to the Tavistock model ( Datler, Datler, & Hover-Reisner, 2011; Elfer, in press; Rustin, 2006, 2011 ) were carried out for 6 months, and questionnaire data on children's adaptive behaviour was collected after 6 and 12 months in care; these will be included in further analysis.…”

“…These findings need further investigation. Potentially important factors that might be related to children's settling-in processes have not yet been included in this analysis ( Datler, Datler, et al, 2011; Datler et al, 2011b ). These include information on childcare quality, relationships and interactions between toddlers and their caregivers, parental behaviour during leave taking, and children's physical stress levels ( Ahnert et al, 2012 ).…”

Toddlers’ relationships to peers in the processes of separation: from the discussion of observational accounts to the development of theory

“…5 In addition, we have been attempting to describe and conceptualise the research process that is appropriate for single-case studies. In several studies published in English and German (see Datler, Datler, Hover-Reisner, & Trunkenpolz, 2014;Datler, Hover-Reisner, Fürstaller, & Datler, 2014, 281ff. ) we have described three phases in the research process, in each of which different research steps are carried out:…”

The Experience of the Infant Entering Refuge (Shelter) Setting with Their Mothers After Fleeing Family Violence

“…Infant Observation Adapting the discipline of infant observation into a research tool was selected as an appropriate data collection method for this setting (Datler et al 2014;Rhode 2004;Rustin 1997). This process involved both recording meticulous notes immediately post observation and making prominent the experience of the infant through "seeking to access internal emotional states as well as the meanings of external behaviours…giving expression to the 'voices' (Elfer 2012, p. 225) of these infants.…”

“…Reviewing the raw data (observation notes and interview transcripts) the data analysis process relied on regular reflective meetings involving two research supervisors and a 'critical friend', an expert in infant observation. This reflective space aligned with 'seminar groups' used in infant observation to present and explore the nuances of data collected (Bick 1964;Caron et al 2012;Datler et al 2014;Rustin 2009;Waddell 2013).…”