In research, an unobtrusive measure is a method of making observations without the knowledge of those being observed. Unobtrusive measures are designed to minimize a major problem in social research, which is how a subjectâs awareness of the research project affects behavior and distorts research results.hree types of unobtrusive measurement are discussed here... An indirect measure is an unobtrusive measure that occurs naturally in a research context. The researcher is able to collect the data without introducing any formal measurement procedure.....Content analysis is the analysis of text documents.
patellar reflex. n. A reflex contraction of the quadriceps muscle resulting in a sudden involuntary extension of the leg, produced by a sharp tap to the tendon below the patella. Also called knee jerk, knee-jerk reflex, knee reflex, quadriceps reflex.
knee jerk. You experience a knee jerk when your doctor taps your knee with a rubber mallet and your leg automatically kicks out. The idiom a knee jerk reaction means that you respond to something in an equally unthinking way. If you instinctively assume that someone who loves clowns wouldn't have much in common with you, that's a knee jerk, or automatic, reaction. This figurative meaning of knee jerk came from the physical reflex â which is called a patellar reflex by doctors, and which was discovered and named in the 1870's.