Trang was conducting research on group behavior. She sat in the bleachers and kept track in a notebook of the kinds of interactions that occurred between the members of the cheerleading squad. Trang's method of research was ______.
A) participant observation
B) ethnographic
C) observation
D) experiment

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Trang's method of research was observation because she was watching and recording interactions without participating in the activities of the group she was studying. Participant observation involves the researcher becoming part of the group being studied, which Trang did not do. Ethnographic research refers to a detailed and comprehensive study of a culture, which is not specifically indicated here. An experiment involves manipulating variables to observe outcomes, which also does not describe Trang's method.

Trang Was Conducting Research on Group Behavior