Open observation: monitoring people who know they are being watched - sources of bias: people knowing they are monitored behave differently appearance and behavior of the observer
Disguised observation: monitoring people who do not know they are being watched ex: observation behind one-way mirror (during focus groups)
c) Human vs. machine observation
Human observation: observer Machine observation: ex: traffic counters video cameras scanners in stores Advantages: less expensive, more accurate, greater detail, readily available
d) Direct vs. indirect observation
Direct observation: monitoring a phenomenon while it occurs Indirect observation: observation of past behavior Examples: archeologists, garbologists (analyzing household garbage), prototype testing (users return the product so that researchers see how is left)