Participant observation is a method of collecting information and data about a culture and is carried out by the researcher by immersing himself in the culture he is observing. The researcher makes himself known in the community, knowing and understanding the culture in a more intimate and detailed way than would be possible with any other approach. This is done by observing and participating in the daily activities of the community. The method is so effective because the researcher is able to directly approach people in the community in a natural setting instead of taking the participant out of their environment. The purpose of participant observation is to understand the subject's life from his or her point of view, with the aim of gathering more detailed information about the habits, opinions, relationships and problems of a community. One of the main advantages of participant observation is the anthropologist's ability to gain access to events, places, and intimate situations where outside observers would not be permitted. DeMunk and Sobo (1998) describe some advantages of the observation method over alternative methods of anthropological data collection, including that it allows admission to "backstage culture" (DeMunk and Sobo 1998 p.43), allows for a description intimately detailed, and provides the anthropologist with the opportunity to take part in all the events. DeWalt and DeWalt (2002 p.92) further suggest that this increases the quality of the data collected and the anthropologist's interpretation, as well as the analysis of that data and assistance in developing new research questions and hypotheses. However, DeMunk and Sobo (1998) also address some disadvantages of using particip...... middle of paper ......formity and Concept: readings in cultural anthropology, 6th edition, Little Brown, Boston, pp. 34-43.deMunck, Victor C. & Sobo, Elisa J. (eds.) (1998). Using field methods: a practical introduction and casebook. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.DeWalt, Kathleen M. & DeWalt, Billie R. (2002). Participant observation: A guide for field workers. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.Schensul, Stephen L.; Schensul, Jean J. & LeCompte, Margaret D. (1999). Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observations, Interviews, and Questionnaires (Book 2 in the Ethnographer's Toolkit). Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.Schultz, Emily A. & Lavenda, Robert H. 2005, Cultural Anthropology, 6th edition, Oxford University Press, New York, Chapter 3: Fieldwork.Van Dongen, Els 2007, 'Anthropology on Beds: the bed as a field of research', Anthropology Today, vol. 23, no. 6, pages. 23-26