Reactivity to Systematic Observation with Film: A Field Experiment.

The reluctance to use film and video equipment for systematic observation and recording can be partially attributed to an assumption of reactivity and internal invalidity. Three sources of reactivity are discussed: the activities of the observed, the activities of the observer, and the sensory access of the observed to the observer. Two observation and recording activities-movie camera and paper and pencil-were examined at two different levels of proximity between observer and observed. The gaze direction of subjects in the direction of the observer's location was used as a measure of subject reactivity. Proximity of the observer to the observed was consistently of consequence to subjects' reactivity irrespective of the mode of observation and recording. The implications of these findings are discussed for the placement of observers in research settings and for the use of film as data collection strategy.