Sociology

Overt observation

Advantages

• Covert observation avoids ethical problems of getting information such as when studying deviant groups
• Lets the observer to get a better understanding of the group being studied.
• Lets the observer ask open and personal questions
• Allows the researcher to ask open questions which may be very personal

Disadvantages

• A group may refuse an observer to observe the group's activities or the group may restrict what activities they may let the observeror see.
• This could also be like the hawthorne effect where those that are being observed behave differently.