ABSTRACT
During a participant-observation study of an apocalyptic group, the interviewers faced a number of difficulties in developing a suitable role for themselves. They sought to collect essential data but yet to remain ostensibly just ordinary members of the group of believers being studied. The observers tried to behave in such a way as to minimize the effect they might have on the members' beliefs and actions. The study of the group was undertaken in order to test a hypothesis derived from the theory of dissonance. That hypothesis can be stated as follows: Under certain specified conditions, when a belief or prediction is demonstrated to have been wrong, those who have held the belief not only will fail to relinquish it but will try even harder than before to convince others of its validity. It was essential, of course, that the participant-observers obtain data on all three variables both before and after the crucial date.
