Stranger Paper: Naturalistic Observation

Naturalistic observation involves recording subjects' naturally occurring behavior while they are in their natural environment. This experiment revolves around this type of observation. Specifically, it involves the observation of the various human dyads (male-female, male-male, female-female,) social interaction, within in a public environment. Focal points of observation included conversation space (distance between individuals heads,), and body language.

The topic studied in this naturalistic observational research study was called “pick me up.” The purpose of this study was to place a note card on the ground labeled “pick me up” and observe the type of person that picked the card up. The research question was “Which gender will pick up the card more and which gender will react more?” The researchers had three hypotheses: (1) More women will smile when reading the card than men, (2) More men than women will notice the card and continue walking, and (3) More men than women will notice the card.

Naturalistic observation is observing behavior in an open, relaxed environment. This method allows a researcher to watch someone’s uninhibited reactions compared to surveys or case surveys where you can answer truthfully or untruthfully. The strengths of naturalistic observations are better generalizing, subjects are comfortable which adds to higher degree of realism

I observed a classroom of four-year-old students who are enrolled at the Child Development Center on the George Mason University campus. This observation lasted about fifteen minutes with a total of twelve students in the classroom. At the time of my observation the students were engaging in free playtime where they are allowed to play games, make crafts, and interact with their fellow classmates. I was seated in the corner of the classroom where the children could not easily see me or get distracted by me. I stayed seated throughout the whole observation so the students would not be affected by my presence. Many different activities were happening at the same time, but a couple standout situations reminded me of many subject areas we

My observation locations are Starbucks and restaurant. I chose them as my observation location because those are the places where people normally talk, study, socialize and interact in a casual manner.

In order to study human development and perform naturalistic observation I went to the mall. I selected a 9-year-old white girl as the subject for my observation. I observed the subject for 30 minutes. During my observation the subject was not interrupted and was not aware of my study.

As an observer, I could tell Person A was deeply involved in the conversation at all times. I also took note of Person A’s facial expression throughout the observation. Person A was generally smiling throughout the evening, clearly enjoying himself. I could observe many times of laughter, and took note of no negative expressions.

I decided for my social observation the mall would be a good place to start. I came there on a Friday evening when there should be plenty of people to watch. I also sat in the Barnes and Noble café after that to observe. I expected to see a lot of people shopping and conversing. A few things did stand out to me within the few hours I was there. Some things I didn’t expect to see. We are expected to behave a certain way in public determined by our culture as to what is acceptable. Some people stay well within the lines while some might stray outside the norms but never too far typically. Usually the ones to travel to the extremes are adolescents and teenagers. This is what I observed.

This paper is going to describe the behavioral and cognitive traits that can be inferred from that behavior of a two year old child that I observed in the park as she was playing with her mother. The child that I observed is a girl, has blonde hair and is physically well-developed for her age. She is around two, weighs approximately twenty (20) pounds and is about two (2) feet tall.

Behavior Observed: Upon entering the house Abby politely took my jacket and hung it up on a chair. She then ran up the stairs and asked me to come see her dollhouse. She identified every little thing in her dollhouse as she was showing it to me. She showed me the “windows”, “stove”, “soap”, “mantel”,

Secondly, data will be collected through observation. An observer will have at least one week of observations at each school. They will observe the teachers in their classrooms as they teach. They will observe the students behavior and reception to the teaching style. They will see if the children learn through books, handouts, or electronic devices. They will take note of the individual school environments and how they operate. Documentation will be made of the schools disciplinary policy and how it is carried out.

To determine how often the space is currently used and for what purpose a naturalistic observation was carried out the aim was to access the features currently that need to remain and any other user needs the site could expand upon. The purpose of the task was to gain greater insight into the behaviors occurring in the space and to determine the physical usage of the site including the sites traffic and what it is being used for. I carried out the research in the middle of the sites ground and recorded any movements that I could see, confirming it by asking the individual and recording it in a table.

Observational research is type of correlational (i.e., nonexperimental) research in which a researcher observes ongoing behavior. There are a variety of types of observational research, each of which has both strengths and weaknesses. These types are organized below by the extent to which an experimenter intrudes upon or controls the environment.

On the other hand, by being an anonymous observer a degree of spontaneity could be achieved. Moreover Tanner and Turney (2000, p344) argue that “the absence of active participation can give the practitioner the opportunity to think about and digest what is both seen and felt”. Although I was not actively participating I did feel emotionally engaged during the observation. There were times during the observation in which the girl’s body language did not match what was being said. In one occasion, the male asked her where she was going to which she replied: “I am going to meet a friend at the pub”. From an observer perspective she looked uncomfortable, her body moving away from the male while fiddling with her mobile. At that point the male persistent questioning made me feel uneasy too. I understood the complexity of Schon’s (cited in Briggs 1999, p148-149) idea of reflection in action (“being able to reflect during practice encounters”) taking into consideration the range of factors, such as thought and emotions, involved in the process of observation.

Each student walks in class and sits with their friends to socialize. Most of them sit and discussed previous class lectures or asked other peers for help. The one’s I chose to evaluate would come in class just a few minutes before class began. I studied their routine and the way that they paid attention to the lecture and how many are successful in class. The first student, S1, walks in class before the other three students. She sits in front of the class to the side, takes out her laptop, snack, notebook, calculator, and pencil pouch. During lecture she would be working on other class assignments and writing on her notebook. I noticed that when she heard the instructor go over a particular topic she would take out her second notebook and take notes. Towards the middle of the class, she would close her laptop and eat her snack and just listen to the lecture. The second