Observation: lesson 6 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is an observation?
The action or process of monitoring or studying something or someone
What type of data does observations produce
Qualitative
What are the types of observation?
- Overt: subjects are aware of researcher
- Covert: subjects unaware of researcher
- Participant: reasearcher actively takes part in activities of subject study
- Non- participant: researcher is no more than an observer who documents the events
What are advantages of non- participant observations?
- Objective
- Reliable
- Open documentation of data, notes can be made on the spot rather than from memory
What are the disadvantages of non-participant observations?
- Unethical
- Actions open to researcher interpretation, is it as objective as first thought
- Lack of relationship between researcher and subject could mean valuable data is missed
What are advantages of participant observation?
- High in validity
- Provides insight, understanding of the subject in the study
- Highly flexible, researcher can enter study with an open mind and is not restricted by line of questioning allowing them to learn more
- Allows them to build rapport & successful collection of data
What are 4 disadvantages of participant observation?
- Getting in, Staying in, Getting out
- Trained researcher needed, ( practical)
- Activities of subject may be illegal or immoral ( ethical)
- Unreliable: observation can’t be repeated, a different researcher would build a different relationship with subject
What are the issues with getting involved in a participant observation?
- Must win trust & acceptance of subject
- Don’t disrupt normal group activities ( improves validity)
- Be in good position to make accurate observations ( improves validity)
What are the issues with staying in a participant observation?
- Must ensure they don’t engage in actions which compromise their position & end their study
- Balance involvement to understand them & remaining objective
- Over-involvement is a risk: may engage in activities with subjects which aren’t directly related to the study or fail to document them
What are the issues with getting out of a participant observation?
- Researcher may become over-involved & struggle leaving; loyalty and membership
- Subjects of study may be resistant to the researcher leaving; fear of reprisal, loyalty to the researcher
- Re-entering normal life can be a difficult adjustment for the researcher, depending on the subject of study
What are the advantages of overt observation?
- Avoids ethical concerns as subjects have given consent
- Allows researcher to ask immediate & direct questions at the moment an observation has been made
- Open collection of data
- Other methods of data collection can be used to further understand the subjects of study
What are the disadvantages of overt observation?
- Hawthorne effect: precedes of researcher affects behaviour of subject
- Subject doesn’t consent to being observed
What are the advantages of covert observation?
- Eliminates Hawthorne effect
- Allows collection of highly valid qualitative data
- Gaining access to subject is less difficult
What are 4 disadvantages of covert observation?
- High risk: researcher may be revealed leading to withdrawn consent & end of study
- Reliance on memory = validity issues
- Subjects cannot consent ( ethical issues)
- Subjects may engage in illegal/ immoral activities which researcher must also participate in ( ethical issues)
Which methods do structuralists prefer?
Quantitative data collection from overt non-participant positions
