While there are many benefits to unobtrusive research, this method also comes with a unique set of drawbacks. Because unobtrusive researchers analyze data that may have been created or gathered for purposes entirely different from the researcher’s aim, problems of validity sometimes arise in such projects. It may also be the case that data sources measuring whatever a researcher wishes to examine simply do not exist. This means that unobtrusive researchers may be forced to tweak their original research interests or questions to better suit the data that are available to them. Finally, it can be difficult in unobtrusive research projects to account for context. In a field research project, for example, the researcher is able to see what events lead up to some occurrence and observe how people respond to that occurrence. What this means for unobtrusive research is that while it can be difficult to ascertain why something occurred, we can gain a good understanding of what has occurred.
In sum, the weaknesses of unobtrusive research include the following:
- There may be potential problems with validity.
- The topics or questions that can be investigated are limited by data availability.
- It can be difficult to see or account for social context.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Unobtrusive research is cost effective and allows for easier correction of mistakes than other methods of data collection do.
- The Hawthorne effect, which occurs when research subjects alter their behaviors because they know they are being studied, is not a risk in unobtrusive research as it is in other methods of data collection.
- Weaknesses of unobtrusive research include potential problems with validity, limitations in data availability, and difficulty in accounting for social context.
EXERCISES
- Want to see the Hawthorne effect in action? Check out this totally non-scientific yet wholly entertaining application of the principle from Korea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b_YAJtJmPLE What evidence of the Hawthorne effect do you see in the video?
- What do you view as the most important strength and the most important weakness of unobtrusive research? Why?
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