unobtrusive measures


unobtrusive measures

any methods of collecting data without the knowledge of the subject and without affecting the data. Examples are very varied, e.g. studies of garbage, wear on carpets, recording how much coffee is consumed in meetings. What these unobtrusive methods have in common is that they avoid the problem of'subject reaction’ to the study. Hence they are less likely to distort the observations than standard ways of collecting data such as the completion of a questionnaire or an attitude test. In the latter cases the subjects are bound to be aware that they are taking part in research and this can produce artificial results. Unobtrusive measures are often used within a QUALITATIVE RESEARCH design and can be especially useful in evaluation research to reduce any distorting reaction to the evaluation on the part of the people being evaluated.