Observation Flashcards
Give an example of a covert observation
Laud Humphreys- Looked into the tearoom trade and found that it was mostly married men in positions of power that were involved.
James Patrick- Went undercover to observe a Glasgow gang. He witnessed petty crime and drug taking.
John Howard Griffin- He medically changed his skin colour from white to black so that he could experience racism.
What are the practical, ethical and theoretical strengths of covert observations?
Practical: Access can be easier and is often the only option for studying deviant groups
Ethical: None
Theoretical: Highly valid, no Hawthorne effect and gains verstehen
What are the practical limitations of covert observations?
Dangerous Time consuming Can't take notes or ask questions Difficult to maintain a false identity Could go native
What are the ethical limitations of covert observations?
Unethical due to deception and no informed consent, and could lead to the researcher having guilty knowledge. Also, could put the researcher in danger
What are the theoretical limitations of covert observations?
Unreliable because it is unstandardised
Unrepresentative due to small sample
Give an example of an overt observation
Willis- observed 12 working class lads to find out why they formed an ‘anti school subculture’. Found they believed they would fail, so gave up to ‘have a life’
Venkatesh- studied a gang in Chicago who originally held him hostage (24hrs under a staircase) and found the gang was essential meeting the needs of the community
Barker- observation on the Moonies. To look at beliefs and to see if the brainwashing rumour is true
What are the practical, ethical and theoretical strengths of overt observations?
Practical: Can ask questions and take notes, don’t have to maintain a false identity and is cheaper
Ethical: Highly ethical
Theoretical: Valid
What are the practical, ethical and theoretical limitations of overt observations?
Practical: Time consuming, access may be difficult and group may refuse permission
Ethical: N/A
Theoretical: Unrepresentative, lacks reliability, subject to the Hawthorne Effect and lacks validity
Give an example of a structured observation
Flanders looked at teacher-student interactions. He found out that teachers dominated conversations in the classroom
Give an example of an unstructured observation
James Patrick- Glasgow gangs, found violence etc. gave them authority
Eileen Barker- Moonies, no brainwashing present
John Howard Griffin- medically darkened his skin to see extremities of racism
What are the theoretical strengths of structured observations?
They are more reliable because they are standardised
What is the Positivist/Interpretivist view of structured observations?
Positivist like it as it provides quantitative data therefore allows trends and patterns to be viewed
Interpretivists will hate it as it is low in validity doesn’t show causes and means to why teachers talk more
