welcome to this tutor to use sociology topic video on research methods looking at observations observations are a research method where a researcher observes the behavior of a group or of individuals in order to witness first-hand their social behaviors it gives the researcher a far more in-depth look at how people demonstrate behaviors and uncovers other behaviors and motivations that might not be witnessed through other sociological methods observations involve the development of an observation schedule a set list of times that the researcher will observe the behaviors of a group or individuals in some observations this is more flexible than others for example covert participant observations where researchers may have to take whatever opportunities they can to observe social behaviors observations are usually preferred by interpretivist sociologists and particularly by those who look for an ethnographic approach to study in society however some positivists will use observations but they tend to be more structured and non-participants in nature there are two main types of observations participant where the researcher is up close with those being studied and taking part in their activities this gives them an insight into the world view of those people in its higher invalidity the second form is non-participant and this method involves researchers observing the behavior whilst detached from the actions of the group which makes the research more objective and less open to observer influence both of these methods can be conducted either overtly with those being researched aware of the presence of the researcher and possibly the aims of the research or covertly where those being observed are unaware they are being observed and so act more naturally covert observations particularly are useful in accessing hard-to-reach groups however this method is far from simple to undertake observations have several key advantages over using other methods they allow the researcher to witness behaviour first hand including the interactions between individuals which may give them clues to the meanings and motivations behind those behaviors that would not be disclosed in other formats they also allow the researcher to observe people in their natural environment which increases the validity particularly covert observations if people do not know they're being researched they will act more naturally observations are also a useful method to research hard-to-access groups such as subcultures and criminal gangs these groups are less likely to take part in questionnaires and interviews and observations while small scale can be useful in expanding the knowledge of a subject area in preparation for further research into the social issues that are uncovered however there are many practical ethical and theoretical issues with observations gaining access to groups is one particularly if the researchers intend for a covert observation this would require the researcher to develop a persona to fit in with the group being studied dressing differently speaking differently and potentially changing their appearance and identity a second practical limitation is how they will record information having to record what people say or video and behaviors to look back over could put the researcher at risk even if the research is over recording information and asking for clarifications on points made could lead to frustration if it is too intrusive a researcher should blend into the background without disturbing the activities being undertaken maintaining cover is another issue with some groups if they found out they were being researched it could endanger both the aims of the research and the researcher themselves and finally observations can be costly the use of specialist equipment gaining additional qualifications or skills changing your appearance to get into a group can all impact on the cost of conducting the research there are lots of ethical issues with observations covert observations with a participant or non-participant involved a degree of deception to those being researched who may develop bonds with the researcher informed consent is another issue people may not be aware that they are being observed or the reason why and if this is the case they're not consenting protection from harm if researchers are undercover with gangs they may face threats and intimidation if uncovered even in over observations such as conducted by venkatash there is a potential for harm venkatashi studying chicago drug gangs was kidnapped as it was believed he was a rival gang member finally observers may witness illegal or immoral activities which provide them with ethical dilemmas should they inform authorities and if they do do they run the risk of losing their research and their connections with the group that they are studying theoretical issues with observations include reliability observations can be difficult to replicate given the nature of human beings and how their behaviors differ researchers can also lose objectivity if they form attachments to groups and come to empathize with their position overt observations also run the risk of having less validity as people may act differently than normal if they know they're being observed what sociologists refer to as the hawthorne effect and finally the small scale of the research means they are less likely to be representative of wider society and researchers are unable to generalize the findings to the rest of the population however some sociologists such as ethnographers would suggest that being able to generalize to the population is not the aim of their research rather it is to tell the story of those in society that do not have a voice some examples from across the specification keddie completed non-participant observations into teachers attitudes to students by attending staff meetings and listening into staffing conversations winlow worked undercover as a bounce over several years when investigating the nighttime economy and discovering links to organized and disorganized crime networks while venkatash spent several years working overtly with drug dealing gangs in chicago to see how they operated in what is seen as being a seminal piece of research that concludes this cheated to you sociology topic video on research methods focusing on observations thanks for watching