Final answer:
Observational research involves gathering primary data by observing people and situations in their natural environments. It's a key component of field research and differs from methods like surveys or experiments.
Step-by-step explanation:
<Observational research involves gathering primary data by observing relevant people, actions, and situations. It allows researchers to collect data from a natural environment without conducting a lab experiment or a survey. This type of research is well-suited to an interpretive framework and can include practices such as ethnography and participant observation.
This method is pivotal for a field research approach, where the sociologist or researcher goes into the world to study people in their social environments—where they live, work, and play. Significant to field research is that it takes place in the subject's natural environment, for instance, a coffee shop or tribal village.
Other methods, like survey research and experimental research, differ from observational research as they often rely on direct questions and controlled environments, respectively. Longitudinal research, for instance, is different as it involves following a group over time rather than a single observational study.