Approaches to observation research

b) Open vs. disguised observation

Open observation: monitoring people who know they are being watched

- sources of bias: people knowing they are monitored behave differently

appearance and behavior of the observer

Disguised observation: monitoring people who do not know they are being watched

ex: observation behind one-way mirror (during focus groups)

c) Human vs. machine observation

Human observation: observer

Machine observation: ex: traffic counters video cameras scanners in stores

Advantages: less expensive, more accurate, greater detail, readily available

d) Direct vs. indirect observation

Direct observation: monitoring a phenomenon while it occurs

Indirect observation: observation of past behavior

Examples: archeologists, garbologists (analyzing household garbage), prototype testing (users return the product so that researchers see how is left)