participant observation

Question 1

non participant observation

Answer 1

observation without researcher taking part, may use a two way mirror to investigate behaviours

Question 2

participant observation

Answer 2

researcher takes part in the event while observing it

Question 3

overt observation

Answer 3

true identity is displayed

Question 4

covert observation

Answer 4

secretive, identity of researcher is not displayed

Question 4

Whytes study f Street Corner Society

Answer 4

semi overt

Question 5

positivists - structured observation

Answer 5

records count of behaviour making it quantitative

Question 6

process of research

Answer 6

staying in

getting out

getting in in the first place

Question 7

getting in into research - cycle of research

Answer 7

making contact

Question 8

making contact - Polsky

Answer 8

found his useful skill in gaining entry of the world of poolroom players

Question 9

Patrick in gaining access to inaccessible group

Answer 9

gained access to criminal groups becuase he looked young and knew one of the members

Question 10

acceptance - gaining access to groups

Answer 10

researcher must win trust and acceptance of the group

Question 11

acceptance - gaining access to groups - THORTON

Answer 11

the researchers personal characteristics may cause an obstacle to researching specific groups
i began my research when i was 23 and slowly aged out of the peer group i was studying as a Canadian in British clubs + raves she felt like a stranger

Question 12

how does Labov show that personal characteristics are not that important in getting in

Answer 12

white man got trust of black children

Question 13

Griffin white man who turned black - went to lengths to have access to certain group

Answer 13

1959 he used medication to turn black. he travelled to the deep south and experienced impact of racism
in time period of segregation , black people faced discrimination

Question 14

the observers role in getting in

Answer 14

• be the one that does not disrupt the groups normal patterns
• offer a good vintage point to carry out observation

Question 15

the process of staying in - going native

Answer 15

by over - identifying group, researcher becomes biased. they stop being just an observer, they become the group

Question 16

Punch - studying the Amsterdam police

Answer 16

to be accepted by the tightly knit security he must over identify with them as a policeman, chasing and holding suspects, searching houses, shouting at people who abused colleagues

Question 17

Downes and Rock in getting in participant groups

Answer 17

participant observers try to perform a most intricate feat . they are required to reach the probably unattainable state of one who is an insider and outsider. one part of the social world but also as one who stands + analyses it

Question 18

getting out - patricks experience at the gang

Answer 18

sickened by violence, he left abruptly which can be difficult

Question 19

re - entering the before world can be difficult - Whyte

Answer 19

when he returned to Harvard uni, he wad tongue tied, and found it hard to communicate with participants

crossing between the two worlds

Question 20

loyalty and getting out

Answer 20

loyalty may prevent them from leaving or disclosing what they have learnt e/g criminal exposure of their activities might lead to prosecution

Question 21

overt observations several advantages

Answer 21

• avoids ethical problem of obtaining info by deceit + studying deviant groups
• allows observer to ask naiive important Q’S that only an outsider would ask
• takes notes openly
• observer can use interview methods to derive info

Question 22

disadvantages of overt observations

Answer 22

group may refuse for participant permission e.g when Punch was with Amsterdam police they only let him see what they wanted him to see

• risks the Hawthorne affect - those who are being observed know they are do may change behaviour - validity outside of window

Question 23

covert observations - all practical disadvantages

Answer 23

requires researcher to keep up an act + may have to identify the type if identities within the group before joining. Patrick was nearly found out when he bought his clothes with card rather than cash - not the way of gang - may lead to physical harm

Polsky advices - you damned better not be one of them because they will test out claim and you will either find yourself in illegal activity, or cover will be blown

sociologist cannot take out notes in the open, must rely on memory to write it in secret
Ditton - studying theft among bread deliverymen, had to use toilets as safe place for recording observations

Question 24

covert observations - practical advantges

Answer 24

reduces risk of Hawthorne effect, only way to have valid info Humphreys - sexual encounters in public toilets notes that there is only one way to watch discreditable data and that is to be pretend to be in the same boat with those engaging in

Question 25

ethical consideration of covert observations

Answer 25

-immoral to deceive people, pretending to be friends or in the same boat. hypothesis should be layed out in the open of research - researcher may have to lie about why they are leaving study, or may leave abruptly like Patrick. may cause ethical concerns - may have to participate in illegal, or immoral activity or their role - witnesses may have a moral duty to intervene and report them to the police

Question 26

validity - advantages of covert observations

Answer 26

it is natural behaviour of what they do in everyday life, giving qualitative rich data produces picture of how they really live. no social desirability or Hawthorne effect

Question 27

insight - advantages of covert observations

Answer 27

the best way to truly understand is to put themselves in their shoes - VERSTEHEN meaning of empathy gaining empathy through personal experience uniquely authentic data

Question 28

flexibility - advantages of covert observations

Answer 28

can begin with specific research topics and then can identify what is important later on change what they want to study as new situations encountered, there are new things that may interest it

Question 29

flexibility - advantages of covert observations Whyte

Answer 29

i learned answers to questions that i thought i would never find if I was using only participants

Question 30

practical advantages of covert observations - Yablonsky

Answer 30

yablonsky points out that teenage gang ,more likely to see researcher as unwelcome figures of authority participant observation allows for a rapport allowing for trust

Question 31

disadvantage of participant observations

Answer 31

- very time consuming. Whytes study took 4 years - researcher must be trained to recognise social problems that tare sociologically significant - personally stressful + demanding, esp if covert - requires observational interpersonal skills for a rapport - personal characteristics may act as a barrier to researching some groups - some groups may reject being studied e.g petty criminals

Question 32

ethical problems of participant observation

Answer 32

decieving people to in order to obtain sensitive information of illegal minorities

Question 33

representative problems of participant observations

Answer 33

small scale - we cannot make any generalisations about wider population Downes and Rock although participant observation is valid it may not be externally valid to wider population

Question 34

reliability - disadvantage of participant observations

Answer 34

must be standarised. hard to do with participant observations researcher skills may affect the results as participants may be influenced qualitative data is produced so it hard to make comparisons between different groups

Question 35

bias and lack of objectivity - disadvantages of participant observations

Answer 35

- risk of becoming too involved + risking going native makes it difficult to remains objective so sociologist ends of representing biased view of group - fear of reprisals lead to concealing some info. this may deny the reader of full published study the full information - sociologist may often sympathise with the group

Question 36

validity - participant observation disadvantages

Answer 36

positivts argue this claim of validity in participant observations - participant observations are only as researcher sees the behaviour

Question 37

lack of concept structure

Answer 37

interactionists favour use of participant observations as society is constructed by small scale face to face interactions Marxists and feminists criticise - they ignore the structural forces that shape our behaviours

Question 38

what type of observation do positivists prefer

Answer 38

structured non participant observation as it is reliable of main goals of reliability, generalisability

Question 39

what type of observation do interpretivists prefer

Answer 39

unstructured participant observations - validity , focuses on the meaning of people individually