Abstract：
Many conventional research methods employed in randomized controlled trials were not possible during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, behavioral observations are nearly universally gathered in-person. Observational methods are valued for the rich, informative data they produce in comparison to non-observational methods and are a cornerstone of parenting and family research. COVID provided the opportunity to, and indeed necessitated, the transition to fully remote observation. However, little to no studies have investigated whether remotely collected observational data are methodologically sound. This paper assesses the feasibility of remote data collection by describing the transition between in-person and fully remote observational data collection during a Sequential, Multiple Assignment, Randomized Trial (SMART) of a parenting program that took place both before and during the pandemic. Using mixed-methods data from coders, the overall quality of video-recorded data collected both before and during COVID was examined. Coder reliability over time was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients. Results suggest that the frequency of audio problems, the severity of visual problems, and the level of administration challenges decreased after transitioning to remote data collection. Additionally, coders showed good to excellent reliability coding remotely collected data, and reliability even improved on some measured tasks. Although challenges to remote data collection exist, this study demonstrated that observational data can be collected feasibly and reliably. As observational data collection is a key method to assess parenting practices, these findings should improve researcher confidence in utilizing remote observational methods in prevention science.
摘要：
在COVID-19大流行期间，随机对照试验中使用的许多常规研究方法是不可能的。特别是,行为观察几乎普遍是亲自收集的。观察方法对富人很有价值，与非观察方法相比，它们产生的信息数据是育儿和家庭研究的基石。COVID提供了机会，确实有必要，向完全远程观察的过渡。然而,几乎没有研究调查远程收集的观测数据在方法上是否合理。本文通过描述在连续，多重分配,在大流行之前和期间进行的育儿计划的随机试验(SMART)。使用来自编码器的混合方法数据，对COVID之前和期间收集的视频记录数据的总体质量进行了检查.使用组内相关系数评估随时间变化的编码器可靠性。结果表明，音频问题的频率，视觉问题的严重性，过渡到远程数据收集后，管理挑战的水平下降了。此外,编码器表现出良好的可靠性编码远程收集的数据，和可靠性甚至提高了一些测量任务。尽管远程数据收集存在挑战，这项研究表明，观测数据可以被可行和可靠地收集。由于观察数据收集是评估育儿实践的关键方法，这些发现应提高研究者在预防科学中利用远程观测方法的信心。
