Non-participant observation
by Sam Cook
Some sociologists conduct observational research without participating in the activity being studied in order to reduce the risk of those being observed will be affected by the presence of the researcher. An example of covert non-participant observation is – ‘The survival time of chocolates on hospital wards: covert observational study.’
This process also avoids the Hawthorne Effect, though to achieve this the observer has to conduct their research in a manner which prevents the participants knowing they are being researched for example by a hidden camera (though this does raise ethical issues).
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