6 – Unobtrusive Measurement

Why Should I Care?

There are hidden messages and meanings in landmarks, and objects that cannot speak. They have a story to tell if we know how to listen.

Definitions

Unobtrusive Measurement: The use of physical evidence, nonparticipant observations, and archival or                                                   documentary evidence without the knowledge of participants.

Artefacts: a physical object made by a human being, often embodying cultural or historical interest.

Usefulness

 To study human activity without humans knowing, using traces of activity, or objects made by humans.

Objects of Measurement

Type of Object	Yes	No	Maybe	Example
Personal Characteristic			X	Kitchen countertops height - clothes
Socio-Demographic Characteristic			X	Parking lot licence plate
Opinion			X	Political -
Motivations		X
Ideology			X
Biases / Prejudice			X
Preferences	X
Personal History / Background	X
Family Dynamics			X
Cultural History	X
Perception / Self-Perception		X
Aptitude /Ability			X
Behaviour			X
Level of Knowledge		X

Sampling

Populations are widely defined and usually large, depending on the community.

Samples are usually non-random, convenience and/or purposive.

Instruments

 Artefacts are recorded using photography, video camera, drawings, notes, etc.

Scientific Power

Exploratory: the first thing you see is objects and traces. They are the “trail” to follow.

Descriptive: the more you see, the more you describe. But this is the end of the line for scientific power.

Steps

1. Identify population/topic
2. Choose recording tool
3. Record audio-visual
4. Analyze, Interpret, and Report

Advantages

1. Useful when people are unwilling to answer surveys
2. Reveal habitual behavior
3. Useful for people who are not articulate (children) (or lost in translation)
4. Allows to triangulate with other methods, to check validity of results

Disadvantages

1. Lack of context
2. Physical evidence is limited in objects of measurement
3. Time-consuming
4. Hazardous (ex: gangs, drug rings)
5. Ethical considerations if researcher needs to be covert

Reporting

Social Linkages Maps

Spatial Maps

Descriptive Text

Synthesis Tables

Preferred Disciplines

 Anthropology, Geography, Sociology, Psychology, History

Other Non-scientific Disciplines

 Applications in Marketing, Criminology, Journalism

Not useful for

Economists, Political Scientists (depends on the topic)

Think Piece

Think of your neighborhood. What could you observe about it (passively) to give people an idea who lives in this area?