Doing Sociology: Research Methods — Sociology STD 11 Humanities — Question

This term is used to describe any situation where an observer records behavior that is exhibited by a participant. The term 'observation' may be used as a technique for gathering data (i.e. we observe somebody doing something) or as the design of a study. It leads to such a variety of usage. To give a precise definition of the term 'observation' means contrasting it with an experimental study. In an observation there is no manipulation of an independent variable. There are different types of study that would be classified as 'observational' under this definition.