Naturalistic Observation and Reactivity

Reactivity Phase:
Get a clipboard and a stopwatch and sit in a prominent location in a crowded public place such as a shopping mall, airport, etc. While appearing to observe people, hold the stopwatch in one hand and pretend to be taking notes with the other hand. Take real notes about what people do once they first notice you. Take notes in this manner for 30 minutes.

Naturalistic Observation Phase:
Go to the same public place, but this time sit in an inconspicuous location and take notes in a notebook (preferably disguised as a book of crossword puzzles, word find puzzles, etc.). Do not use a clipboard or stopwatch. If anyone looks in your direction, appear to be working puzzles. Take notes in this manner for 30 minutes.

Make note of the differences between the two "data collection" phases. Did anyone appear to change his/her behavior as a result of your observations?

Project Two:

Correlation Exercise
Here is a nice little exercise from the University of Derby, UK.

1. Click on the link: http://ibs.derby.ac.uk/~viv/rm2/Correlation_Ex2.doc
2. Get scores on the Dental Anxiety Scale and the number of visits to the dentist for each student in the class.
3. Then, use this correlation calculator to analyze the results: http://calculators.stat.ucla.edu/correlation.php (use "select module" in upper-right panel).

Do you predict the correlation to be positive or negative? Why? Did the results support your prediction?

Copyright © 1995-2008, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall Legal and Privacy Terms