(For writer convenience this can be a hypothetical observational study.)
OBSERVATIONAL STUDY: A BEHAVIORAL EXPERIMENT
Design an observational study .Cultivate a theory about human behavior, develop a hypothesis based on research, and then test it by observing the behavior in a natural environment.
For example, you might develop a theory that in todays society filled with germs causing illness and disease, people will frequently wash their hands after using the restroom.
You wonder about this so you go to the library and do some research. You find out that your theory was quite wrong and research has shown that a great majority of people do not wash their hands.
Based on the research you have now gathered and reviewed, you make your own hypothesis (a testable prediction with numbers) that out of 30 people that you will observe, you think at least 15 of them will actually wash their hands.
In order to now test this hypothesis, you might visit a public restroom and note whether or not a certain number of people wash their hands after using the facilities. You will unobtrusively observe them and record how many people do wash their hands.
Try to think of behaviors you could observe easily such as the occurrence of smiles when strangers pass, how often people hold the door open for each other, etc. **You may not use any of the ideas suggested above.
Present the results of your study and discuss your findings. To sum up your report, provide a brief personal critique of the study you conducted. This is an observational study about human behavior. The following points need to be addressed in your final paper. This rubric will guide you through the number of points assigned to each question. Questions can be answered as mini essays in complete sentences. Be sure to be thorough and specific in your answers. Short vague answers will not be given full credit.
Papers should be a minimum of 4 pages, with a separate page for resources cited in the research section (meaning at least 3 full pages top to bottom, then a separate page for your sources) in order to answer all parts of the questions thoroughly. Sources should be cited in the text according to the APA guidelines. Your research section should fully explain and cite the sources you found on your topic, as it is a big source of points for the overall paper. Guidelines can be found on the library website- such as links to Purdue OWL, etc.
1) What is your simple theory of human behavior and why did you choose to study this particular behavior?
2) Explain the research you studied to come up with your hypothesis? You must use a minimum of 3 resources accessed through the library database.
3) What is your specific hypothesis? This should be a testable prediction with numbers, such as 15 out of 30 or 50% of subjects observed etc.
4) Explain fully how you tested your theory and what you did for your study. This should include:
a) How many subjects did you observe?
b) How did you choose those subjects?
c) How did you specifically observe the subjects?
d) ) How did you define the behavior specifically that you were looking for?
e) Were there things that did not count as the specified behavior?
f) Do you think they knew they were being observed?
