Observation (Interpretivists) Flashcards
What is observation?
It’s a first-hand insight into how people interpret the social world around them.
What is non-participant observation?
The researcher sits and observes activity, they are detached and become an unobtrusive looker-on who plays an active role in the activity being observed.
The researcher ocuses on particular types of behaviour or activity.
Produces facts in quantifiable data.
The researcher is less likely to take sides and be biased in the way they interpret a group’s behaviour.
Groups shouldn’t be influenced by the observer, if they are then the observer will observe artificial behaviour caused by the researcher’s presence (Hawthorne effect)
Provides little insight into the reasons why people behave the way they do.
Objectivity is difficult to achieve as the observer would have to make value judgments about whether behaviour or activities fit particular categories on their observation schedule.
What is participant observation?
The researcher immerses themselves into the research and is on the inside looking out as they join in on activities.
Overt - the researcher joins in on activities and some or all of the group are aware they are being researched.
Cover - the researcher joins in on activities of the group and conceals the fact they are doing research
Naturalistic - It’s carried out in the environment the respondents naturally find themselves in.
Ethnographic
Overt participant observation depends on the gate-keeping who allows the researcher entry into the group.
STRENGTHS of observation
The researcher sees things through the eyes and actions of the people studied.
The researcher is placed in the exact situation as the group studied.
The researcher can see what people really do and the truth is more likely to be recorded.
Informal questions are asked.
Respondent validation through developing special relationships with key people within groups allows behaviour to be interpreted correctly as the researcher can ask questions.
First-hand experiences by watching and listening.
Longitudinal thus allows the understanding of changes in attitudes.
Practical for researching hard-to-reach groups.
Produces qualitative data.
WEAKNESSES of observation
The presence of the researcher in overt participant observation results in groups acting unnaturally and they’re aware they’re being observed.
The observer ‘goes native’ and loses detatchement and objectivity and identifies too closely with the group.
Gives too narrow view of the group studied as the researcher cannot study the wider social context of te research population.
Micro-studies that don’t appreciate influence and impact of structural factors (social class or patriarchy on the research setting and those being observed)
Causes great danger to the researcher (Ken Price)
Takes a long period of time and requires dedication and acting ability for covert observation.
Recording observations and conversations is an issue, the researcher needs to record conversations whilst they’re fresh in their memory and taking notes can be off-putting.
No way of knowing whether the findings are true thus isn’t reliable as it’s impossible to replicate to vertify data.
Lack of representativeness due to very exotic and not typical ‘average’ people studied.
Small number of people are observed thus isn’t representtative of society.
Unsystematic, unstructured and unrelaible as they focus on natrually occurring behaviour.
Qualitative data is too objective.
