Deception’s Second Cousin: - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Deception’s Second Cousin:Participant Observation

IRB Continuing Education

Tuesday May 12, 2015

Oregon State UniversitySlide2

Outline

Definition(s)

Methodology

Applications

Opportunities & Benefits

Limitations

Review Considerations

DiscussionSlide3

Definitions

In

participant observation the observer participates in ongoing activities and records observations. Participant observation extends beyond naturalistic observation because the observer is a "player" in the action.

Varying degrees of participation

Wide perspectives of the nature of an investigator’s immersionSlide4

Definitions

Marshall &

Rossman

(1989)

“The

systematic description of events, behaviors, and artifacts in the social setting chosen for study" (p.79).

Observations

enable the researcher to describe existing situations using the five senses, providing a "written photograph" of the situation under

study

A process

enabling researchers to learn about the activities of the people under study in the natural setting through observing and participating in those activities.

“The

process of learning through exposure to or involvement in the day-to-day or routine activities of participants in the researcher

setting”

Slide5

Definitions

Bernard (1994)

Requires a certain amount of deception and impression management.

Requires establishing rapport within a community and learning to act in such a way as to blend into the community so that its members will act naturally, then removing oneself from the setting or community to immerse oneself in the data to understand what is going on and be able to write about it. Slide6

Definitions

FINE (2003)

“Peopled ethnography" as an extensive methodology based on observation in the field, a labor-intensive activity that sometimes lasts for years.

One is expected to become a part of the group being studied to the extent that the members themselves include the observer in the activity and turn to the observer for information about how the group is operating. Slide7

Applications

Hallmark method for Anthropology and Sociology

Increasing application in Education

Often one of multiple techniques in Ethnographic research Slide8

Methodology

The

researcher assumes a role in the setting or group being studied.

Often

the researcher actually takes on the role being studied;

Becoming

a

firefighter

E

nrolling

in flight training

school

W

orking

in a mental hospital (or passing as a

patient)

Being

a cocktail

waitress

L

iving

among the mushroom hunters of the

northwest

May or may not employ covert

observation

U

se

of concealed devices to record information for later

analysis

tape

recording

conversations

videotaping

personal

interactions

C

oncealment

of the researcher

as

the behavior of subjects is observed and recorded. Slide9

Methodology

Participant Observation [Qualitative]

The data of

participant observation are extensive field notes describing events and impressions. They may also include extensive in-depth interviews.

Narrative description of a qualitative sort provides depth and richness

of

understanding

.

Systematic Observation [Quantitative]

Quantitative Systematic observation uses clearly-defined categories (often with operational definitions) and collects quantitative (numerical) data.

Systematically-acquired data - clearly-designated decision rules, operational definitions, and proper sampling procedures – permits* generalization to similar situations.Slide10

Opportunities

Schensul

,

Schensul

,

and

LeCompte

(

1999):

to

identify and guide relationships with informants;

to help the researcher get the feel for how things are organized and prioritized, how people interrelate, and what are the cultural parameters;

to show the researcher what the cultural members deem to be important in manners, leadership, politics, social interaction, and taboos;

to help the researcher become known to the cultural members, thereby easing facilitation of the research process; and

to provide the researcher with a source of questions to be addressed with participants (p.91). [11] Slide11

Opportunities

Bernard

(

1994):

It

makes it possible to collect different types of data. Being on site over a period of time familiarizes the researcher to the community, thereby facilitating involvement in sensitive activities to which he/she generally would not be invited.

It reduces the incidence of "reactivity" or people acting in a certain way when they are aware of being observed.

It helps the researcher to develop questions that make sense in the native language or are culturally relevant.

It gives the researcher a better understanding of what is happening in the culture and lends credence to one's interpretations of the observation. Participant observation also enables the researcher to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through surveys and interviews.

It is sometimes the only way to collect the right data for one's study (pp.142-3). [12] Slide12

Additional Opportunities

The researcher is able to get an "insider" viewpoint and the information may be much more rich than that obtained through systematic observation

.

Provides researchers

with ways

to:

check

for nonverbal expression of

feelings

determine

who interacts with

whom

grasp

how participants communicate with each

other

check

for how much time is spent on various activities

Allows

researchers

to:

check

definitions of terms that participants use in interviews,

observe

events that informants may be unable or unwilling to share when doing so would be impolitic, impolite, or insensitive, and

observe

situations informants have described in interviews, thereby making them aware of distortions or inaccuracies in description provided by those informants Slide13

Additional Opportunities

Develop

a holistic understanding of the phenomena under study that is as objective and accurate as possible given the limitations of the

method

Can be

used as a way to increase the

validity of a

study, as observations may help the researcher have a better understanding of the context and phenomenon under study.

Validity

is stronger with the use of additional strategies used with observation, such as interviewing, document analysis, or surveys, questionnaires, or other more quantitative methods.

Can be

used to help answer descriptive research questions, to build theory, or to generate or test

hypotheses.

May improve

the quality of data collection and interpretation and facilitates the development of new research questions or hypothesesSlide14

Limitations

Numerous Conversations on limitations of the method and error in systematic

r

esearch

Bias

Reactivity

Representation

*But not the focus of today’s discussion …Slide15

Review Considerations

Most observational research, except that involving children and minors, is exempt from federal regulations.

For

studies involving adults, current regulations require IRB review only for the most risky observational

investigations

T

hose

in which two conditions exist:

(

1) the observations are recorded in a manner that allows the subjects to be identified, directly or through identifiers linked to them; and

(

2) the observations recorded, if they became known outside the research, could reasonably place the subject either at risk of criminal or civil liability or cause damage to the subject's financial standing, employability, or reputation [Federal

Policy §___.101(b)(2)].

A major concern of the IRB

should be to determine if it is necessary to record information in a way that entails such risk, and, if so, whether the provisions for maintaining confidentiality of the data are adequate. Slide16

Review Considerations

To what extent is the

behavior in question is

public?

Covert

observation of public behavior (

e.g.

, observing pedestrians on the street) raises little if any concern about privacy;

Concealed

observation of people in their homes would be quite another matter.

Some

behavior that occurs in public places may not really be public

behavior, where

the individuals involved have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Research

involving covert recording of conversations in public parks or filming of activities in public rest rooms clearly raises invasion of privacy questions.

Observational

studies in quasi-public places (

e.g.

, hospital emergency rooms or state mental hospital wards) may also raise such concerns.Slide17

Review Considerations

Will the researcher take field

notes publicly to reinforce that what the researcher is doing is collecting data for research

purposes?

When

the researcher meets community members for the first time,

will they be

sure to inform

participants of

the purpose for being there, sharing sufficient information with them about the research topic that their questions about the research and the researcher's presence there are put to rest.

This may require that

one is constantly introducing oneself as a researcher.Slide18

Discussion

Is there any risk if a participant is never made aware that they have been covertly observed?

If they are not

aware of an invasion of

privacy, is there any risk of feeling

embarrassed, guilty, or that their rights have been

violated?

Can it be

argued that an invasion of privacy is wrong, whether or not the subjects are ever aware of

it

?Slide19

References

Institutional Review Board

Guidebook

http

://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/archive/irb/irb_chapter3.htm#e4

UC Davis - IRB

http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/faculty_sites/sommerb/sommerdemo/observation/partic.htm

Foru

: Qualitative Social Research

http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/466/996