1. Unobtrusive Measures

2. What Are Unobtrusive Measures? l Any measure that can be taken without the subject knowing it. l There are a great variety of types. l Raises questions of ethics.

3. Some Major Types l Indirect measures l Content analysis l Secondary analysis of data

4. Indirect Measures To assess the popularity of different museum exhibits...

5. Indirect Measures To assess the popularity of different museum exhibits......measure the wear of the floor tiles.

6. Indirect Measures Or, if it’s a children’s museum exhibit...

7. Indirect Measures Or, if it’s a children’s museum exhibit......measure the fingerprints on the glass cases.

8. Indirect Measures To measure the preferences for radio stations in a market...

9. Indirect Measures To measure the preferences for radio stations in a market......have auto mechanics check what stations people are tuned to.

10. Indirect Measures To measure the popularity of various magazines...

11. Indirect Measures To measure the popularity of various magazines......comb through the trash or recycling.

12. Indirect Measures l Requires some theory l Often very clever and fun l Often inexpensive l May be ethical issues l Best for measuring behavior (not attitudes or feelings)

13. Content Analysis To categorize or code written (or spoken, transcribed) documents Purpose: Work quickly and effectively under pressure 49 Theme 2Theme 3 Organize the work when directions are not specific. 39 Decide how to manage multiple tasks. 20 Manage resources effectively. 4 Theme 1

14. Content Analysis l Define unit of analysis. l Sample the units of analysis. l Code the sample units. l Summarize the codings. l Draw inferences. Key Steps:

15. Content Analysis l Rate each sampled unit on a continuous scale. l Place each sampled unit into one or more categories. Types of Codings Continuous Categorical

16. Content Analysis l The visible surface content (e.g., number of male pronouns). l The underlying meaning (subjective judgment of sexism in the unit). Types of Content Manifest Latent

17. Content Analysis l Feasibility l Safety -- low risk l Can examine phenomena over long periods of time l Unobtrusive Strengths:

18. Content Analysis l Limited to recorded phenomena l May have limited validity (especially construct validity) Weaknesses:

19. Secondary Analysis of Data Use existing data sources to address your questions Purpose:

20. Secondary Analysis of Data l Census bureau data l Crime records l Standardized testing data l Economic data l Combining or linking several databases Examples:

21. Secondary Analysis of Data l Efficient -- the data already collected l Broad sampling base –Can be national –Can encompass large time spans Strengths:

22. Secondary Analysis of Data l Unit of analysis issues –Dealing with aggregate indices –Linking across datasets l Validity and reliability –Limited by quality of original work Weaknesses: