participant observations Flashcards
What is a non participant observations?
the researcher does not participante in the group they are observing
advantages non participant observation
- observing in natural environment
- unlikely to go native and will remain objective
- gather quantitative data
disadvantages of non ppt observations
- not able to develop rapport // versthen
- could jump to conclusions as not ivolved
what is a structured observation?
mostly non- ppt, where the researcher will count the number of times an event happens.
What is an overt observation?
researcher makes their true identity and purpose known to ppt
What is a covert obsrvation?
Where researcher identity is concealed
conducting an observation (5)
- getting in - must enter group
- making contact - initial contact to have right connections
- acceptance - must win trust and acceptance on ppt
- observer role - not to disrupt normal patterns
- staying in - once accepted need to stay in group but remain detached / unbiassed
making contact - Fairhurst
found herself hospitalised so used it as an opportunity to conduct a study on being a patient
Acceptance example - GRIFFIN
used medication to change his skin colour to make him pass as black to experience the first hand impact of white racism
What does ‘going native’ mean ?
Danger of staying in the group is over identifying and the researcher becomes biased and stop being an objective observer
- Researchers may preserve their detachment so as to avoid bias, but by remaining detached they risk not understanding the events they observe
- The more time the researcher spends with the group the less strange its ways comes to appear → researcher may begin to not notice things that they previously would have seen as unusual
Punch going native example
when trying to be accepted by a patrol group he over identified even acting as a policeman by chasing criminals / doing house searches
How must a researcher exit a observation?
- Researcher can simply halt and leave it
PATRICK - when sicken by violence abandoned a study immediately - Can be difficult to re enter researchers normal world can be difficult
- Loyalty to the group they studied - prevents them from fully disclosing their findings perhaps out of fear
overt observation strenghts
- Avoids ethical problem of obtaining information by deceit + when studying deviant groups → no expectation of them joining in
- Allows researcher to ask the naive type of questions only outsiders could ask
- Able to take notes openly
- Able to use interview methods to check insights derived from observations
disadvantages of overt observations
- Group may refuse the researcher permission
- Risks creating the ‘hawthorne effect’ - undermines validity
Covert observation strengths
- Reduces the risk of altering people’s behaviour - valid information
- Humpheries - only way to watch the highly discreditable behaviour