10.3+Observations

=10.3 Observations=

Learning outcomes:

Evaluate participant, non-participant, naturalistic, overt, and covert observations Discuss considerations involved in setting up and carrying out an observation (e.g. audience effect, Hawthorne effect, disclosure) Discuss how researchers analyze data obtained in observational research Observation is important because it is a way to gather data in real-life, non-laboratory settings.

participant observation- the observer takes part in the situation being studied while doing the research non-participant observation- the observer is not part of the situation being studied 1. Participant Observation

a. Researcher wants to become very familiar with the group of interest

i. Example: a gang, a religious group

b. Develop a scientific understanding of the group by interacting with it in everyday life

c. Researcher must:

i. Spend time in strange surroundings (prison)

ii. Meet/ keep in touch with random people who they are interested in

iii. Take notes on minute details (body language)

iv. Put himself/herself at risk if the location being studied is unsafe

d. Good to learn more about subcultures

e. The researcher records his/her personal experiences, which are analyzed and appropriately generalized

f. The researcher can only be effective if he/she is unbiased at the beginning

i. He/she must look for the general “rules” and “beliefs” that the target population lives by

g. The researcher can be affected by the people he/she studies

i. Participant researchers must practice **continuous reflection** to help analyze the patterns that he/she is noticing as he/she notices them

ii. In the analysis of the data, the researcher must include his/her perspective on the topics (previous involvement, no preconceived notions, etc.)


 * Strengths of participant observation:**

· Combines the subjective perspective (emic) with the objective perspective (etic)

· Provides data with lots of detail that cannot be gathered through another method

· Helps avoid researcher bias since the researcher tries to understand the participants instead of change them to conform to a specific template

· Helps people view the situation as a whole, since observations are taken about all aspect of the group’s life. All of these aspects are connected to each other, not left separated.


 * Limitations of participant observation:**

· Hard to record data immediately and objectively (there will always be some subjective interpretation)

· Takes lots of time, since the researcher must be at the scene

· Runs the risk of the researcher becoming subjective accidentally

o He/she might become too involved or too detached

2. **Non-Participant Observation**

a. Sometimes the participants do not know that they are being observed

i. **Reactivity-** participants act differently when they are being observed- ruins the data

ii. if the participants do not know they are being observed, careful guidelines must be followed

· **Naturalistic observation** (part of non-participant observation)

o Observation happens in the natural environment

§ Researcher does not interfere with the activity

§ Researcher should spend time with the participants before observing, so that they are used to his/her being there

· Collect data through cameras, which participants will also become used to

· **Unstructured observation**- record all relevant behavior. Researcher has no checklist of aspects to record data on. It is difficult to analyze data from these studies

· **Semi-structure observation**- data collection is not limited to specific categories or aspects, but the researcher has an overall idea of what types of things he/she should be looking for. This is easier to analyze and allows for both depth and breadth.

· **Structured observations**- researcher has already made a checklist and will only record data on specific behavioral features. It is easy to collect data like this, but since data cannot be collected on all topics, the analysis is not always accurate


 * Strengths of naturalistic observation:**

· Ecological validity: data collection takes place in a natural environment, so the data is considered more valid than data collected in laboratory situations

· can collect data on otherwise impossible/unethical topics (research on mentally ill people)


 * Limitations of naturalistic observation:**

· runs the risk of reactivity

· difficult to check the accuracy of data collection if there is only one researcher

· sometimes is unethical if the participants do not know they are being observed


 * Overt and covert observation:**

· participant and non-participant observation can be either overt or covert


 * Overt observation:**

· participant knows he/she is being observed

o more ethical

o participants may not have given formal consent, but they know the researcher is doing something

o if the researcher actively participates, the participants know more about the nature of the study than if the researcher is not a participant


 * Covert observation:**

· participants do not know they are being studied

o they have not agreed to be studied

· researcher must lie about why he/she is actually at the scene

· good to get data on hard-to-access topics

o also, reactivity cannot occur

· it is unethical

o it is also dangerous if the people being studied are violent