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Observational Methods in Sexuality Research

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Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

Observational methods can generate insight into human sexual behavior. First, this chapter differentiates between ethnography, participant observation, and observation, because these terms are sometimes conflated. Next, the core components of observation—perception and interpretation—are discussed in terms of research undertaken by human observers. Consideration of the researcher as part of the process of knowledge construction thus emerges as central to debates about the use of observational methods. The historical roots of the tension between insider and outsider perspectives are explored, and I argue that all researchers should practice reflexivity, or a self-conscious awareness of how who we are affects what we see and believe about the world. The later sections of the chapter are concerned with the practical decisions facing researchers using observational methods, as well as a few of the ethical issues associated with research on human subjects: overt versus covert research and a researcher’s sexual participation in the field.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Some of the material in these sections is adapted from an appendix in Frank, K. (2013) Plays Well in Groups: A Journey Through the World of Group Sex. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

  2. 2.

    Confirmation bias can also occur in other ways, as when behavior is defined, or studies are designed, in such a way that the behavior of interest is more likely to be observed.

  3. 3.

    The terms emic and etic may be used slightly differently across fields, and are deployed across fields from marketing to counseling to social science research.

  4. 4.

    Out in the Field and Taboo are edited volumes where anthropologists have written about their decisions with regard to sexual engagements during research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, American University, 20016, Washington, DC, USA

    Katherine Frank

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  1. Katherine Frank
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Correspondence to Katherine Frank .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    John DeLamater

  2. Department of Sociology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Rebecca F. Plante

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Frank, K. (2015). Observational Methods in Sexuality Research. In: DeLamater, J., Plante, R. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17341-2_8

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