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Naturalistic Observation

Naturalistic observation is a versatile method for collecting research in the social and behavioral sciences. Naturalistic observation essentially entails collecting data from its naturally occurring contexts. In other words, naturalistic observation involves observing environments in order to answer one’s research questions. This approach, although potentially costly if one’s observation site is far from home, can save time and money in some cases. At the same time, this qualitative approach poses ethical challenges (e.g., about its potentially obtrusive nature). The growth of mobile technologies and the Internet has increased the accessibility and usefulness of naturalistic observation. This entry provides an examination of naturalistic observation in an effort to uncover the versatility and utility of this type of research approach.

Overview

Naturalistic observation refers to observing participants or communicative phenomenon in one’s natural habitat or environment. Colloquially, naturalistic observation is “people watching.” This type of observation allows for researchers in an unobtrusive manner to observe how participants interact with each other and their environment. In other words, naturalistic observation requires researchers to be complete observers. Naturalistic observation has a history of utility within multiple disciplines such as communication, anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Communication scholars are interested in what is said, how verbal and nonverbal communication is used, as well as meanings affixed to verbal and nonverbal elements in a particular context. However, before a researcher may begin observation, a site must be selected.

Site Selection

Once a phenomenon of interest is chosen for research, an appropriate site must be selected. It is important to select a site that allows for one’s chosen phenomenon to be clearly studied. For instance, if a researcher wanted to study nonverbal behaviors between Japanese children, then a Latino senior citizen center would not be the best site for data collection. In addition to choosing an appropriate site (a site where one’s chosen focus is likely observable), one must consider both the advantages and disadvantages of naturalistic observation on one’s chosen site.

Once an appropriate field site is selected, access is warranted. There are both informal and formal gatekeepers for research sites, which may require permission. Gatekeepers are essentially those people who allow and control access to field sites. Informal gatekeepers are insiders, or community members, who have the ability and reputation to make things happen. This might involve introducing researchers to participants or key stakeholders who will ensure their research is able to start efficiently. In some cases, communities require more formal access; this may involve considerable paperwork (e.g., gaining ethics approval for one or more government agencies). Only after certain measures are taken and access is informally and/or formally negotiated can the researcher begin observations. Regardless of which type of gatekeeper researchers meet, most scholars argue that access is a continual negotiated process, meaning that researchers must maintain good relations with gatekeepers in order to ensure continued access to one’s chosen field site.

Advantages of Naturalistic Observation

Naturalistic observation contains multiple advantages for data collection. First, naturalistic observation allows researchers to observe phenomena in its natural settings. Instead of creating an artificial environment that may, or may not, alter the ways in which participants interact, observing participants in their natural context helps scholars to gain insight into how language constitutes social reality in participants’ chosen context. In other words, the researcher does not construct sites for research, but instead observes in pre-existing contexts, which helps data to stay natural. Researchers who engage in this type of observation sometimes refer to their style as that of a complete observer and believe that observing only enhances one’s trustworthiness as a researcher.

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