SOCI 211 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Reproducibility, Academic Journal, Content Analysis
1 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Unobtrusive research refers to methods of collecting data that don"t interfere with the subjects under study. Both qualitative and quantitative researchers use unobtrusive research methods. Unobtrusive methods share the unique quality that they do not require the researcher to interact with the people he or she is studying. Sociologists interested in history are likely to use unobtrusive methods, which are also well suited to comparative research. Researchers who seek evidence of what people actually do, as opposed to what they say they do (as in survey and interview research), might wish to consider using unobtrusive methods. This effect, known as the hawthorne effect, is not a concern for unobtrusive researchers because they do not interact directly with their research participants. Another benefit of unobtrusive research is that it can be relatively low-cost compared to some of the other methods we"ve discussed.
