Final answer:
A key informant is someone who assists an ethnographer by providing access to relevant people or events within a group. They are instrumental in gathering cultural data and must be approached with respect, confidentiality, and consent.
Step-by-step explanation:
A key informant in anthropological research is defined as a group member who helps the ethnographer gain access to relevant people/events (option a). In conducting anthropological and sociological research, the informants are critical to the process as they offer insider information and facilitate the understanding of cultural nuances. Good informants possess deep awareness of their culture, and ethical research protocols require that they are treated with respect, including obtaining clear consent for interviews and the use of recorded material.
During interviews, it is important to conduct conversations from an unbiased and emic perspective, ensuring the informant's comfort by meeting in familiar spaces and adhering to cultural protocols. Contemporary researchers often recognize that the ownership of cultural information lies with the culture-bearers themselves, and as such, they may assign authorship or credit for collected information to the community observed. Rights of informants include the choice to participate or withdraw from a study and to request the removal of their data. Moreover, in participant observation, researchers may become insiders within a community to capture authentic behaviors, while maintaining a delicate balance between involvement and detachment to preserve sociological insights.