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Naturalistic Observation: A Guide to Collecting Data on Human Behavior, Summaries of Personality Psychology

Manipur UniversityPersonality Psychology

Guidelines for conducting naturalistic observations, a descriptive technique used to record behavior in naturally occurring situations. Students are required to select a behavior, write an operational definition, decide when and where to observe, and collect data without interacting with subjects. The observations must be documented in a professional, concise manner and submitted electronically as a word document or PDF by the due date.

What you will learn

  • How should students write an operational definition for the behavior they are observing?
  • What behavior should students observe for their naturalistic observation assignment?
  • What are the guidelines for conducting naturalistic observations in public settings?

Typology: Summaries

2020/2021

Uploaded on 11/22/2022

vikas-samota
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GUIDELINE AND SAMPLE OF
NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION
Scientific writing is very different from fiction, poems, short stories, or even a research
paper. When researchers report their findings for publication in a professional journal,
there are clear instructions on what needs to be included and how it is to be formatted.
Many publications even limit the length of manuscripts.
The goals of this assignment are:
1) To provide students with the experience of collecting raw data as a researcher
2) To document your findings within the confines of requirements often used by
scientific journals
The method you will be using is naturalistic observation. According to your textbook
“this is a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring
situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.”
ASSIGNMENT:
As you read these guidelines study the sample attached. It will help to determine if your
research is presented in a professional, concise manner.
BEFORE YOU DO YOUR ACTUAL OBSERVATIONS
1) You are to select a behavior (or action) that is performed by numerous individuals
in a public setting.
2) You will write an operational definition in one sentence that is clear, specific, and
measurable of the behavior you are observing. (This may be the hardest sentence
you write all semester.)
3) Still unsure what an operational definition is? Review this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLmy-AeLXGE
4) You will decide when and where to do your observations. They do not all have to
be done at the same time, but it is helpful if done at the same location.
5) You will need a minimum of 30 subjects to observe. Perform your observation in
a place where you will be able to observe that many people.
6) You will need to decide on choosing subjects. You can choose to just observe
anyone who comes along, or you can select just males or females, adults or
children, etc.
7) If you choose specific categories of individuals you must include your standard
for inclusion. For example, if you choose not to include children in your study,
you must include your definition of children. This is mostly done by visuals:
anyone under the height of 4 feet was not included as a subject.
8) You may NOT use people you know for this study. The subjects are to be
strangers.
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GUIDELINE AND SAMPLE OF

NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION

S cientific writing is very different from fiction, poems, short stories, or even a research paper. When researchers report their findings for publication in a professional journal, there are clear instructions on what needs to be included and how it is to be formatted. Many publications even limit the length of manuscripts. The goals of this assignment are:

  1. To provide students with the experience of collecting raw data as a researcher
  2. To document your findings within the confines of requirements often used by scientific journals The method you will be using is naturalistic observation. According to your textbook “this is a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.” ASSIGNMENT: As you read these guidelines study the sample attached. It will help to determine if your research is presented in a professional, concise manner. BEFORE YOU DO YOUR ACTUAL OBSERVATIONS
  3. You are to select a behavior (or action) that is performed by numerous individuals in a public setting.
  4. You will write an operational definition in one sentence that is clear, specific, and measurable of the behavior you are observing. (This may be the hardest sentence you write all semester.)
  5. Still unsure what an operational definition is? Review this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLmy-AeLXGE
  6. You will decide when and where to do your observations. They do not all have to be done at the same time, but it is helpful if done at the same location.
  7. You will need a minimum of 30 subjects to observe. Perform your observation in a place where you will be able to observe that many people.
  8. You will need to decide on choosing subjects. You can choose to just observe anyone who comes along, or you can select just males or females, adults or children, etc.
  9. If you choose specific categories of individuals you must include your standard for inclusion. For example, if you choose not to include children in your study, you must include your definition of children. This is mostly done by visuals: anyone under the height of 4 feet was not included as a subject.
  10. You may NOT use people you know for this study. The subjects are to be strangers.

DOING THE OBSERVATIONS

  1. You are to collect the data on whether individuals performed your operational definition.
  2. You may NOT use audio and/or video recordings in your collection of data. It is illegal to do such recordings in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without the other person’s permission so we are using that as our criteria.
  3. You are NOT to speak or make physical contact with the individuals you are observing. WRITING UP YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND SUBMITTING WORK 1) Follow the sample paper provided (this is why it is provided.) It is a guide to the format and style of your paper. Your paper should look like the sample, which means headings are included and single space when necessary and double space when appropriate. 2) Do not use the pronoun “I” in professional writing. Use the phrase “the observer” instead. 3) The paper should be no more than two pages to two and ½ pages in length. 4) Your paper may only be submitted as a word document (.doc or .docx) or as a PDF. This guarantees it can be easily opened for grading. The teaching staff WILL NOT chase you down. If the document cannot be opened, a zero will be automatically assigned. 5) The paper must be submitted electronically through the website by 11:59 PM Eastern Time (U.S.) on the due date. 6) No email attachments will be allowed. A zero will be assigned. 7) The inability to follow the format and directions will result in a failing grade for the assignment. 8) Under no circumstances will a re-write be allowed. 9) Use the appropriate terminology from this course. The words covert and participatory must appear in the paper. Refer to example. GRADING: will be as followed (look at the sample provided) ABSTRACT (10 points): A descriptive, brief summary of your research and your findings. Although it appears first in your paper, it is usually written last. INTRODUCTION (10 points): Reason for your study, its purpose, and goals. METHOD (10 points): Check the sample to see the all required parts are included: Course terminology: covert, non-participatory observation Criteria for choosing subjects Number of subjects included – minimum of 30

Your Name Due Date Naturalistic Observation Nomothetic Study: Pedestrian Safety Precautions ABSTRACT Pedestrians waiting to cross the street were observed at traffic intersections to discover their response to safety signals and oncoming traffic. Their regard for traffic lights and walk signals, as well as attention to traffic, varied according to the number of pedestrians in the waiting group. When waiting in the middle or in the back of large groups, pedestrians paid little heed to safety information. They seemed to trust their safety to total strangers. INTRODUCTION With bigger and faster cars, pedestrian safety is an increasing problem. This study examined pedestrians’ concern for their safety in the context of their most dangerous predator, the automobile. The aim was to explore the ways they manage their safety in different traffic settings. METHOD Using covert, non-participation in medium-sized city, pedestrians were observed on three street corners which involved little (1 to 2 cars passing per minute), moderate (3 to 6 cars passing per minute), or heavy traffic (more than 6 cars passing per minute). Any pedestrian arriving at the street corner alone and crossing the street during the hours of observation were included in the study. Children were not included and the observer made the distinction of child or adult by height approximation that any who appeared under five feet was not included. Whenever a small group, two or six pedestrians, waited to cross, one was selected. The selection was made by choosing someone of the opposite gender than the prior subject in a small group. Whenever a large group waited to cross, twelve or more pedestrians, again only one individual was selected for inclusion. The choice was made by the procedure used with small groups. As a rule, subjects observed alone stood at the corner with little traffic. Those observed in small and large groups waited at street corners with moderate and heavy traffic. Altogether, 23 subjects were observed alone, 7 in small groups, and 34 in large groups. Observations were from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm on two weekday days with clear weather. The safety signals included red, orange, and green lights and Walk and Don’t Walk signals.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Safety precautions were operationally defined as looking at a traffic light or Walk sign for at least three seconds or looking both ways at oncoming traffic for two seconds. When the observer was uncertain whether a subject had glanced at the safety signals or traffic, the subject was discarded from the sample. RESULTS When crossing streets alone, 100% of the pedestrians studied the signals and oncoming traffic. In small groups, 91% looked for signs of safety, watching the traffic or signals or both. But in groups of 12 or more, only 26% took safety precautions. Most pedestrians in large groups ignored safety measures, especially those waiting in the second or the latter rows, rather than at the curbside. Among the nine pedestrians who checked for their safety in a large group, eight stood in the front row, at curbside. Only one was stationed in a back row, away from the curb. DISCUSSION Pedestrians crossing city streets appear to accept the dictum of “safety in numbers.” The data shows different norms for groups of different sizes, and in large groups, separate norms for various locations in the group. In a large group, 89% of those who took safety precautions were standing at the curbside. They seemed to serve as lookouts for the others. In the back rows, 96% relied on strangers in front of them. They trusted their lives with people they perhaps would have not trusted with their wallets. Further research is necessary to confirm these probabilistic findings. The pedestrians were an incidental sample and not chosen randomly. The study of accidents might reveal the circumstances under which this trust on the part of back-row pedestrians is warranted.