science

Unobtrusive research

Unobtrusive research is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Unobtrusive research rather than just read about it. In short: Unobtrusive research (or unobtrusive measures) is a method of data collection used primarily in the social sciences. The term unobtrusive measures was coined by Webb, Campbell, Schwartz, & Sechrest in a 1966 book titled Unobtrusive Measures: Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences.

Key takeaways

Unobtrusive research belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Unobtrusive research to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Unobtrusive research from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Unobtrusive research (or unobtrusive measures) is a method of data collection used primarily in the social sciences. The term unobtrusive measures was coined by Webb, Campbell, Schwartz, & Sechrest in a 1966 book titled Unobtrusive Measures: Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences. The authors described methodologies which do not involve direct elicitation of data from the research subjects. Unobtrusive measures are contrasted with interviews and questionnaires, in that they try to find indirect ways to obtain the necessary data. The unobtrusive approach often seeks unusual data sources, such as garbage, graffiti and obituaries, as well as more conventional ones such as published statistics. Unobtrusive measures should not be perceived as an alternative to more reactive methods such as interviews, surveys and experiments, but rather as an additional tool in the tool chest of the social researcher. Unobtrusive measures can assist in tackling known biases such as selection bias and experimenter's bias. Webb and his colleagues emphasize the importance of triangulating the results obtained through various methodologies, each with its own unique set of (usually unknown) biases. The proliferation of digital media opened a new era for communication researchers in search of unobtrusively obtained data sources. Online communication creates digital footprints that can allow an analysis of data that are obtained through unobtrusive methods, and are also massively larger than any corpora obtained via elicitation and human transcription. These footprints can now be used to analyze topics such as the content of communication events, the process of communication, and the structure of the communicative network. The surge of Internet-sourced research data rekindled the discussion of the ethical aspects of using unobtrusively obtained data. For example, can all data collected in the public domain be used for research purposes? When should we seek consent, and is it realistic to require informed consent from sources of unobtrusively collected data? These questions do not have a simple answer, and the solution is a result of a careful and ongoing dialog between researchers, and between researchers and society.

References

Lee, R. M. (2000). Unobtrusive Methods in Social Research. Open University Press. Webb, E. J.; Campbell, D. T.; Schwartz, R. D. & Sechrest, L. (2000). Unobtrusive Measures; revised edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc. ISBN 0-7619-2011-0

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Unobtrusive research

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Unobtrusive research claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Unobtrusive research before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Unobtrusive research ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Unobtrusive research

In research: Unobtrusive research appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Unobtrusive research in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Unobtrusive research is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Data collection in research, Social science methodology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Unobtrusive research outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Unobtrusive research in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Unobtrusive research means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Unobtrusive research out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Unobtrusive research in simple terms?

Why does Unobtrusive research matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Unobtrusive research?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Unobtrusive research.