Writing assignment two...

Week 4 Writing Assignment: Naturalistic Observation

Instructions

For the assignment, you will design a short naturalistic observational study, collect data, and provide a brief response to some questions about your experiences. Note that you will need to observe people in a public place for at least 15 minutes so please plan ahead so that you can complete your observation. Be sure to read Chapter 6 before you begin!

Part 1: Planning Your Observation

Before you begin your observation, answer the following questions:

1. What is your research question? (1 pt)

a. Note that you should choose a research question that you can answer through naturalistic observation, and that uses a sample that you will be able to observe.

2. Who will you be observing? Be sure to clearly define your sample (1/2 pt)

3. What are your 2 variables? Provide operational definitions for each. (1/2 pt each, 1 pt total)

4. What behavioral coding system will you use for your variable(s)? Be sure to specify the behavior(s) and provide a brief definition of each. (2 pts)

a. Note that some variables will not have any associated behaviors (e.g., gender). In this case, you should only provide a coding system for your other variable.

5. What type of sampling do you plan to use to measure the behaviors of interest? Why do you think this was the best choice for your study? (2 pts)

Part 2: Collecting Observational Data

Once you have completed Part 1, identify a location where you can observe for 15 minutes. You might consider observing at the mall, at your local campus, at a local park, or at another public location like a coffee shop or a library. It is best to choose a location where you will not be conspicuous! Using your behavioral coding system, record observations for at least 15 minutes.

Part 3: Results and Reflections

6. Where did you conduct your observation? (1/4 pt)

7. How many people did you observe? (1/4 pt)

8. Describe your results. Based on the data collected, does it seem like you have support for your hypothesis? Support your position with your data. (3 pts)

a. Note that it will be easiest to support your position with descriptive or inferential statistics

9. Describe one benefit and one drawback to observational research in general. (1 pt each, 2 pts total)

10. After completing this activity, is there anything you would do differently? Why or why not? (1 pt)

Your write up for this assignment should be about 1-2 pages in length. Please be sure to completely separate out your responses for each study and either label each component of your response or include each component in a separate paragraph. This means that you should either have 1 - 10 and/or ten separate paragraphs describing your responses to each item. Your submission should be written using full sentences. All content should be written in your own words – no quotes allowed!

Your assignment must be double spaced with 1” margins and typed in size 12 Times New Roman font. It should be free of spelling and grammar errors (2 pts).