Anthropological Methods Essay

The observation method allowed for an analysis of the way different people interact and be able to understand how people communicate with each other. In the fieldwork, I was able to sit down for a number of hours and conduct an analysis of the different people using the different tube lines in London. I was also able to analyze the differences in the crows the relied on tube lines. Furthermore, I observed the amount of time spent by each crowd while using the different tube lines. The observation method is useful in research since it allows the researcher to check on definitions that are used by the different participants during interviews that they may not be willing to share during interviews.

The use of non-numerical data in research allows the researcher to explore as well as describe the quality and nature of human behavior understanding and experiences. Besides, linking human actions to their beliefs, interviews help in developing hypotheses. Therefore, when compared to other methods of collecting and interpreting data, interviews are the most powerful in generating narrative data that enables researchers to conduct investigations into the lives of people in greater depth. Similarly, interviews in this project allowed for an exploration of the construction as well as the negotiation of different meanings in a natural setting. PART B Observation Method Strengths The observation method has various strengths. This is because it allows for a richly comprehensive description, that may interpret to suggest that one's aim of describing intentions, behaviors, and situations as understood by an informant is noted and it gives opportunities for participating and viewing in unscheduled events.

Observation also enhances the quality of the process of collecting and interpreting data (Kawulich n. p). Weaknesses There are also limitations of the observation method. The environment of interest may not be fully accessible rendering the observation activity to totally difficult. The selection of participants to interview may also be challenging since it is unlikely to obtain the resource to able to carry out many interviews to assess any changes. Besides, the voluntary nature of an interview may imply that the researcher's sample is biased towards the people that have become detached with their experience of the initiative (Alshenqeeti 43). Furthermore, bias may be led by other factors like emotions of the interviewee during the interview, their capability in recalling events as well as their feelings and their interaction with the researcher.

Telephone interviews and transcription costs may be costly. Also, the scale of the project, as well as its evaluation, may imply that such costs may not be justified. Another method of indirect observation that may be added to this technique is through the use of thermal cameras. This may help to avoid evading the privacy of the participants thus it may be most favorable when the phenomenon is most susceptible or in this case influence the participants to change their behaviors. Furthermore, this method will allow the researcher to observe a situation without directly disturbing the natural behavior of the study population. Note-taking may also useful during the observation process in collecting further data. These notes may be taken during the time of the observation or immediately after the activity.