What types of research do sociologists do? Sociologists use one of two basic types of research methods, one that involves observation of behavior, and one that involves analysis of accumulated data....

What types of research do sociologists do? Sociologists use one of two basic types of research methods, one that involves observation of behavior, and one that involves analysis of accumulated data. Participant observation involves observing behavior in real-life situations, where the researcher relies on himself to interpret what is happening while trying to see phenomena from the point of view of those being observed. Sometimes a researcher will live for a period with the group she is studying; this is called ethnography. Interviews involve asking a small group of individuals who are purposively sampled with open-ended questions. Surveys are characterized by asking a large number of people closed-ended questions; the results are used to analyze patterns and to generalize to the larger population. Content analysis involves looking at objects such as text, photos, books, and the like.