Views on Observation in Qualitative Methods

Observation involves using all senses—watching, listening, feeling, smelling, tasting—and sometimes includes posing questions. Key considerations for observation include how social scientists view it, the importance of focus (selection and exclusion), methods for writing down observations, and distinguishing between objective observation and subjective interpretation.

The lecture outlines five observational paradigms: Simmel's formal sociology (focus on social interaction forms and types like 'the stranger'), Goffman's dramaturgical sociology (social life as a performance with front and backstage roles), the public realm paradigm (focus on the city and public/private domains, as seen in Lyn H. Lofland's work), auto-observation/autoethnography (focus on self as a member of society), and ethnomethodology (how individuals create everyday life and social order through interaction).

Drawing from Frans de Waal's work on chimpanzee politics, the lecture emphasizes that perceiving is a learned skill, not just looking. New students often miss crucial details that experienced observers readily identify. This illustrates that a trained eye sees more and that a deeper understanding of the entire context (like the rules of cricket) provides far more insight than understanding isolated parts.