Non-participant observations

Question 1

practical

Answer 1

✓ Cost & time: More cost/time efficient compared to participant observation. They may be less time consuming as you have not got to integrate or gain acceptance in a group.

✓ Recording information: Note taking & recording information is much easier as can be done openly if overt. Tends to produce quantitative data which can be put in numerical form & analysed statistically to assess the existence of a relationship between two variables.

Question 2

Ethics

Answer 2

✓ As you are not joining the group if done overtly, consent can be gained & you are less likely to invade upon an individual’s privacy.

× If it is done covertly there will be ethical issues of consent, deception & invasion of privacy. Ideally, where informed consent has not been obtained prior to the research, it should be obtained afterwards. The researcher should also ensure the confidentiality of the data & anonymity of the participants they have observed.

Question 3

Reliability

Answer 3

✓ Has the possibility of collecting quantitative data as will be able to use a structured observation schedule to record data easily, this should make it more reliable as another researcher can repeat the study using the same observation schedule to determine whether findings are consistent.

× Categorising observed behaviour in this way still depends upon the interpretations made by researchers – different researchers may operationalise /categorise the same event differently which can still make the results subjective.

Question 4

validity

Answer 4

✓ Can produce valid data: The researcher is observing ‘real’ behaviour with their own eyes. People are more likely to act naturally if it is a covert observation & they are unaware they are being observed.

× Can lack validity: It is superficial & observing from the outside ultimately leaves the researcher with a limited understanding of what they have observed. The non-participant nature means the researcher is unable to gain a deeper understanding of behaviour as further questions to clarify understanding cannot be asked to find out why they have acted in the way they have.

× Unnatural behaviour: If overt, the group may act unnaturally due to the Hawthorne Effect, as they are aware that they are being studied which makes your data less valid.

Question 5

example

Answer 5

• Albert Bandura’s (1961) Bobo doll experiment. Set out to demonstrate Bandura’s social learning theory by testing how children’s behaviour would alter after watching an adult be aggressive towards a bobo doll. Bandura found that the children exposed to the physically aggressive model were more likely to behave aggressively themselves. A two-way mirror was used to observe the children playing.

Question 6

Representativeness

Answer 6

× Lack representativeness: As they are done on a small group for a certain period of time they are unlikely to be representative & therefore cannot generalised to the wider research population.

Question 7

theory

Answer 7

✓ Objectivity: Positivists would suggest this type of observation is more objective & not participating means it is easier to be objective when
interpreting group behaviour.

× Interpretivists would question the validity of the data created. Recording in a systematic non-participant way says little about meanings, motives etc. of people.