What is the research question you want to answer?(For example, “How do elementary aged children interact with their parents when they are dropped off at school in the morning?”)
How do different individuals react or carry themselves out when in public places where they have to wait in slow moving lines to be served?
(For example, It is always important to have some understanding about children’s home life because it impacts their school behavior/achievement?)
The corporate world in America is always hectic but in an organized way. Individuals are always up and down trying to beat tight deadlines in the quest of their daily activities. Corporate world is always extremely very busy. This question aims to study the psychological effect of these busy individuals when they are faced with a situation where they have to wait in long lines to be served hence slowing doing their fast lifestyles. This is almost always the case when waiting in a line in a banking hall.
What is the location and time that you have chosen?
(For example, 7 a.m. at the car line at ABC Middle School).
I have chosen a banking hall in a busy street in a city in the United States of America. The time is 10 am when the banking halls are extremely busy due to the many customers streaming in waiting to be served.
What specifically are you looking for?
(The last interaction between the child and the driver of the car – usually parents but perhaps not (which also might be a fact worth noting. For instance, maybe siblings or grandparents drop the child off).
The manner in which various individuals react when they find long queues and have to wait behind the line. There are the type of individuals who think that they are busy than everybody else and try different mechanism to jump over the queues or try to sweet talk some banking officers in a bid to get served before others ahead of them.
What is your role as an observer?
The role of the observer here is simply to record the various individuals behavior which include their facial expression, their body posture and to some extent listen to the conversation between the various individuals and take note of the comments they make about the manner in which they are being served.
How did you portray yourself to others?
I disguised myself as a banking officer in order to have the opportunity of having the individuals mentioned earlier approach me for some of the favors of being served before others ahead in the queues. This position also allowed me to observe the individuals on the waiting lines without raising eyebrows from them. Hence I got to record uncontrolled data from the bank customers.
1. What was your research question?
How do different individuals react or carry themselves out when in public places where they have to wait in slow moving lines to be served?
2. Now that you have used observation to collect data, do you believe this is the best way to obtain information to answer your research question? Why or why not?
This method is not the best. It is not easy to tell what other events the individuals observed have encountered hence their non verbal cues in the banking hall. It is a little biased since some individuals might appear relaxed but are actually very restless but are able to suppress that appearance. This is especially the case with individuals over the age of 55.
3. In what ways, if at all, did people react to your being where you were observing them?
There was no much reaction rather a curious eye from some few individuals. I was disguised as a bank official.
4. How did you feel conducting the observations?
It was interesting watching people’s faces intently. You could almost attempt to read their minds while looking at them.
5. In what ways, if at all, do you believe that your observations may be “biased” due to your own characteristics or ideas (p. 448 in your text).
The observation was only biased based on the fact that some individuals are able to suppress their feelings. But most individuals bring out their feelings unconsciously through non verbal cues. 80% of all human communication is non verbal.
6. What, if anything, made it difficult for you to conduct objective observations?
I tried as much to be objective but there are times when I had lapses based on my own mind constructions of the environment being observed.
7. What conclusions did you come to regarding your question, based on your observations? (expand on this answer)
Individuals between the ages of 25 and 50 are usually very restless at this time of the day regardless of their race. Individuals at this age group are the majority in the corporate sector hence their busy schedules. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 and those between the ages of 50 and above appeared relaxed. This could be because, the individuals between age 18 and 25 are still students and do not have much in their hands hence their being not in a hurry. The older individuals are probably retired and thus have no busy schedule hence their relaxed and calm appearance.
8. What are some implications of your findings?
Individuals especially in the corporate sector ought to device means in which they can get their services without having to suffer the agony of waiting in long slow lines which interferes with their schedules.
9. What suggestions for further research do you now have based on your “mini-study”?
Based on this mini study, I would recommend a broader study on the psychology of the individuals in the corporate world that include other activities that they encounter in the course of their daily activities.
10. What are your overall impressions about observation as a form of research based on this experience?
Observation especially participant observation is a good data collection method though it should be integrated with other data collecting methods to increase the objectivity and credibility of the data collected.
