Methods - Participant observation

Question 1

What are the four types of participant observation?

Answer 1

• Non-participant vs. Participant
• Covert vs. Overt

Question 2

What are the practical advantages of participant observation?

Answer 2

+ Only way to investigate behaviour people aren’t entirely aware of
+ Can take notes openly
+ Allows researcher to ask naïve but important questions
+ May be the only way to research groups seen as deviant who will refuse questions

Question 3

What are the practical disadvantages of participant observation?

Answer 3

• May not want to be constantly observed so more likely to refuse
• Can take very long to gain sufficient insight

Question 4

What are the ethical advantages and disadvantages of participant observation?

Answer 4

+ People may feel less stress revealing sensitive information to someone they actually know
- Mental toll of constant observation
- May have to engage in unethical actions

Question 5

What are the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of participant observation?

Answer 5

+ Allows the researcher to become an insider and see the true experience
+ Interactionists: society is comprised of small-scale face-to-face interactions
- Risk of ‘going native’ and becoming biased
- Small sample makes unrepresentative
- Some Hawthorne effect

Question 6

What are the practical advantages of non-participant observation?

Answer 6

+ Only way to investigate behaviour people aren’t entirely aware of
+ Can take notes openly
+ Allows researcher to ask naïve but important questions
+ May be the only way to research groups seen as deviant who will refuse questions

Question 7

What are the practical disadvantages of non-participant observation?

Answer 7

• May not want to be constantly observed so more likely to refuse
• Can take very long to gain sufficient insight
• Relies heavily on observational skills

Question 8

What are the ethical advantages and disadvantages of non-participant observation?

Answer 8

+ Requires informed consent
+ Participants can state they don’t want something to be recorded
- Mental toll of constantly being watched

Question 9

What are the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of non-participant observation?

Answer 9

+ Lack of bias due to detachment
+ Greater insight into unconscious behaviours
- Lack of generalisability due to small-sample
- Greater Hawthorne Effect

Question 10

What are the practical advantages of covert participant observation?

Answer 10

+ May be easier to ‘get in’ as a member
+ Reduces risk of altering behaviour
+ Able to study deviant behaviours

Question 11

What are the practical disadvantages of covert participant observation?

Answer 11

• Requires characteristics of the group
• Requires ability to lie
• Can’t take notes
• Cannot ask naïve questions

Question 12

What are the ethical disadvantages of covert participant observation?

Answer 12

• No consent at all
• May have to lie
• May have to participate in immoral actions
• Moral duty to intervene in immoral actions

Question 13

What are the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of covert participant observation?

Answer 13

+ Allows the researcher to become an insider and see the true experience
+ Interactionists: society is comprised of small-scale face-to-face interactions
- Huge risk of ‘going native’
- May influence results due to actions