Sociology-Research Methods-Observations

Overt Observations-Practical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Avoids having to commit crimes or dangerous activity

+Researcher can ask stupid questions and can openly take notes

-Access-Deviant groups may refuse access

-Hawthorne effect-people may change their behaviour

Overt Observations Ethical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Informed Consent/right to withdraw

+Participants can be briefed and de-briefed

-May involve working with vulnerable groups

-The research may involve watching criminal activities-guilty knowledge

Overt Observations Theoretical Advantages and Disadvantages

Interpretivists like

+Valid and VERSTEHEN

Positivists dislike

-Not representative or reliable

Covert Observation Practical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Access to groups that are closed to the outsider

+Reduces the risk of people changing behaviour

-May need to commit criminal or dangerous acts to be accepted

-Time consuming and costly to get into

Covert Observation Ethical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Can de-brief after event

+Anonymity and confidentiality

-Deception

-May need to commit criminal acts-psychological harm

Covert Observation Theoretical Advantages and Disadvantages

Interpretivists like

+Validity

+VERSTEHEN

Positivists dislike

-Not representativeness and not reliable

Participant Observations Practical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Allow researcher to build rapport+gain trust

+Flexible

-Time consuming+costly

-Researcher skills are important so training needed

Participant Observations Ethical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Brief participants at the end

+Anonymity and confidentiality

-Deception

-May have to participate in criminal activities-psychological harm

Participant Observations Theoretical Advantages and Disadvantages

Interpretivists like

+Valid and VERSTEHEN

Positivists dislike

-Not representative or reliable

Non-participant Observations Practical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Can observe behaviour from afar

+Researcher skills aren't important-don’t have to participate in group acts

-Time consuming and costly

-Access/small scale

Non-participant Observations Ethical Advantages and Disadvantages

+Don't have to take part in criminal or dangerous acts

+Can debrief after the event

-May have witnessed illegal activity-guilty knowledge+psychology harm

Non-participant Observations Theoretical Advantages and Disadvantages

Interpretivists like

-Valid and VERSTEHEN

Positivists dislike

-Not representative or reliable

Case examples for Overt Non-participant Observation

Cocaine kids-researched role of young people in drug market

Spent months ‘hanging out’ with teenage Cocaine ring-took 4 years

Described everyday behaviour and structures of power-in dangerous setting of drugs and guns

Gained VERSTEHEN+rapport -trusted him

But grew attached-lost objectivity

Participant example-Humphrey’s Tearoom trade

Research on motives and behaviours of men having toilet-located sexual activities

Participant Observation-was a ‘watchqueen’ to alert if police were coming-built rapport

Overt to some and did structured interviews

Spent over a year on this project

Gained access to closed deviant group

+Valid+VERSTEHEN

-unethical-Deceitful to vulnerable group-partcipating in illegal acts-could have gone native

Participant example-Patrick's Glasgow Gang

Studied only one gang

Probably had to do violent criminal acts to gain access-was young and matched characteristics

Abandoned research due to violence

Could be refused based on CAGE

Structured Observations (Positivists prefer) Practical Factors

+Easily converted to quantitative data

+Quick, cheaper and less training than unstructured

Structured Observations-Theoretical Factors

+Is reliable-can be replicated due to standardised methods and comparisons made

-Not valid-Are simply counting behaviours and placing them into categories-ignore meanings people attach to them

Unstructured Observations (Interpretivists) Practical

-school is busy so hard to find place for private observation-may mishear or misrecord

-observations limited to school timetable

-Researcher characteristics limit how much info is revealed-based off who they are researching

Unstructured Observations-Ethical

-Vulnerable groups-limited ability to give informed consent

-Guilty knowledge-if researcher reports acts then kids may not confide info to him

Unstructured Observations Theoretical Factors

-Validity-students may present a false image or may be a language barrier

-teachers are used to hiding feelings and being observed-Hawthorne effect

+Validity-May be able to build up a rapport and gain acceptance

-Representativeness-may not include whole cross-section of society so cannot generalise

-Reliability-dkfficulty to replicate-Extraneous Variables-unable to make comparisons