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Assess the usefulness of participant observation as a sociological method Unlike other research methods participant observation allows the sociologist to look at people in their natural environment. It is often referred to as a naturalistic approach. The research does not artificially interfere with people's lives and they are free to act as normal. This allows the researcher to gain an insight which surveys cannot produce. This is illustrated by a well-known quote: "As I sat and listened, I learned the answers to questions I would not have the sense to ask if I had been getting my information solely on an interview basis." By W.F. Whyte, "street corner society" 1981. The kind of data produced by participant observation is qualitative, that is to say it is a picture of the world through the eyes of people themselves, whether they be members of a religious movement, a gang of delinquents or a group...

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