Final answer:
The research method referred to as participant observation involves a social scientist engaging and living within the studied community to collect information through direct interaction and observation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The research method which involves a social scientist living among and interacting with the people being studied is known as participant observation. This ethnographic research allows researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of a specific aspect of social life by temporarily adopting roles within the community of study. A researcher may go to lengths such as working as a waitress in a diner, living as a homeless person, or riding along with police on patrol to carefully observe and record their experiences and insights.
Participant observation is a qualitative research technique, which is part of a sociologist's toolkit, used to gather data by directly interacting with or observing subjects in their natural environment. This method stands out because it is conducted in the subject's own social settings, like coffee shops, tribal villages, hospitals, or any other place that is a part of their everyday life.