participant observations

Question 1

What is a non participant observations?

Answer 1

the researcher does not participante in the group they are observing

Question 2

advantages non participant observation

Answer 2

• observing in natural environment
• unlikely to go native and will remain objective
• gather quantitative data

Question 3

disadvantages of non ppt observations

Answer 3

• not able to develop rapport // versthen
• could jump to conclusions as not ivolved

Question 4

what is a structured observation?

Answer 4

mostly non- ppt, where the researcher will count the number of times an event happens.

Question 5

What is an overt observation?

Answer 5

researcher makes their true identity and purpose known to ppt

Question 6

What is a covert obsrvation?

Answer 6

Where researcher identity is concealed

Question 7

conducting an observation (5)

Answer 7

1. getting in - must enter group
2. making contact - initial contact to have right connections
3. acceptance - must win trust and acceptance on ppt
4. observer role - not to disrupt normal patterns
5. staying in - once accepted need to stay in group but remain detached / unbiassed

Question 8

making contact - Fairhurst

Answer 8

found herself hospitalised so used it as an opportunity to conduct a study on being a patient

Question 9

Acceptance example - GRIFFIN

Answer 9

used medication to change his skin colour to make him pass as black to experience the first hand impact of white racism

Question 10

What does ‘going native’ mean ?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Punch going native example

Answer 11

when trying to be accepted by a patrol group he over identified even acting as a policeman by chasing criminals / doing house searches

Question 12

How must a researcher exit a observation?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

overt observation strenghts

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

disadvantages of overt observations

Answer 14

• Group may refuse the researcher permission
• Risks creating the ‘hawthorne effect’ - undermines validity

Question 15

Covert observation strengths

Answer 15

• Reduces the risk of altering people’s behaviour - valid information
• Humpheries - only way to watch the highly discreditable behaviour

Question 16

Covert observations practical issues

Answer 16

• Requires the researcher to keep up an act → risk of ones cover being blown
• Cannot take notes openly / must rely on memory
  DITTON - studying theft used toilets as a place to record observations - caused suspicion
• Cannot ask naive questions
• Unable to mix with other research methods
• Addition of a member → may still change behaviou

Question 17

Covert research ethical issues

Answer 17

• Immoral in deceiving people
• Not able to obtain consent
• May have to participate in illegal or immoral situations to keep role

Question 18

practical advantages

Answer 18

• Only viable option for certain groups - deviant / disrespectful groups
  YABLOWSKY - teenage gang likely to see questionnaires as unwelcome representatives of authority
• Able to build a rapport with the group and gain its trust- successful with deviant groups / religious sects / drug gangs
• Able to be used in situations where questioning is ineffective
  CISOURELS - study of how policeman categorise juveniles based on assumption and conscious → therefore unable to ask questions as studying assumptions / biases

Question 19

theoretical strengths

Answer 19

• Qualitative data creates an accurate picture of how they really live - no lies - **validity **
• Allows for verstehen - researcher able to gain empathy through personal experience
• By living in the situation - able to gain the meanings and viewpoints,values and problems
• Close living gives uniquely valid and authentic data - **insight **

Question 20

practical advantages

Answer 20

• Allows sociologist to enter the situation with an open mind - so able to change direction at anytime data presents itself
• Allows researcher to discover things other methods may have missed
• covert cheap

Question 21

practical disadvantages

Answer 21

Practical
* Time consuming ( whyte’s study took 4 years)
* Researchers need to be trained on what to look out for (Requires interpersonal skills / observational skills)
* Stressful and demanding → covert research
* Many groups wish to not be studied in tis was / some have power to make access difficult → reason why observations are often on powerless groups

Question 22

ethical issues

Answer 22

• Covert studies → deceive people to obtain info
• Involvement in immoral / illegal activities

Question 23

theoretical disadvantages

Answer 23

• • Sample is often very small - doubtful external validity - **low representivity **
• Depends on personal skills of the researcher so unlikely the results can be replicated
• As produces qualitative data → comparisons can be difficult **low reliability **
• Risk of becoming to involved and ‘going native’ - providing biassed view
• Loyalty to the group leads to concealing of vital information
• researcher selects what they see as noteworthy → bias may influence these judgements **bias **

Question 24

positivists view

Answer 24

• Lack of structure / not reliable / replicable
• Find that they are merely subjective and simply biassed impressions of the researcher → as they choose what’s noteworthy

Question 25

Interpretivists view

Answer 25

• VALIDITY - gives true picture of what people think
• Participation in the group given researcher first hand insights to behaviours and meanings
• able to get own meanings