THE LECTURE

1. Participant
    
   The participant observer is a regular participant in the activities being observed, and his or her dual role is generally not known to the other participants.
    
   Example:
    
   A researcher studying politically right-wing activist groups such as the John Birch Society would join such a group, attend its meetings, and participate in all other activities.
    
   
2. Nonparticipant
    
   The nonparticipant observer does not participate in group activities and does not pretend to be a member.
    
    
   NICHOLAS MAYS and CATHERINE POPE. Education and Debate (Qualitative Research: Observational Method in Health Care Settings). http://www.google.com Retrieved August 11, 2005.
    
   

   Type of Observational Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
   Naturalistic Observation	Particularly good for observing specific subjects   Provides ecologically valid recordings of natural behavior   Criticism often levied to at the behaviorist, cognitive, and biological approaches due to their use of the laboratory experiment in their research. Lab experiments can often be accused of lacking in ecological validity because they do not reflect a real life situation. They get human participants behaving in an abnormal manner. This leads to distorted data, and thus weak psychological conclusions.   Spontaneous (unplanned, natural, unstructured) behaviors are more likely to happen	Ethics: Where research is undisclosed consent will not be obtained, where consent is not obtained – details may be used which infringe confidentiality.
   Structured Observation	§           Allows control of extraneous variables (It is something from the outside that creeps into an experiment and gives rise to an alternative explanation for your results). It has two kinds – random and confounding. Random extraneous variables refer to any variable other than IV which might affect DV while confounding variable refers to extraneous variable which has systematic effect on DV and hence confounds effect of IV.	The implementation of controls may have an effect on behavior   Lack of ecological validity   Observer effect   Observer bias
   Unstructured Observation	Gives a broad overview of a situation   Useful where situation/subject matter to be studied is unclear	Only really appropriate as a first step to give an overview of a situation/concept/ idea.
   Participant Observation	Gives an insider view   Behaviors are less prone to misinterpretation because researcher is a participant   Opportunity for researcher to become an “accepted” part of the environment	Observer effect   Possible lack of objectivity on the part of the observer
   Non-Participant Observation	Avoidance of observer effect (in observational research is also called as confounding effect);	Observer is detached from situation so relies on their perception which may be inaccurate

    
   

A. Extraneous Variables

MAJOR STEPS IN OBSERVATION

1. Decide upon the goals of the study;
   
2. Decide upon the group to be observed;
   
3. Gain entry to the group (or, in the case of laboratory observation, arrange to have the subjects enter the laboratory);
   
4. Gain rapport with the subjects being studied;
   
5. Conduct the study by observing and recording field notes over a period of weeks, months or even years;
   
6. Deal with crises that occur, such as confrontation with subjects who think you are some sort of a spy;
   
7. Exit from the observational study;
   
8. Analyze the data; and,
   
9. Write a report presenting the findings.
   

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