Observation of Social Behavior Conduct an observation of human social behavior i

Observation of Social Behavior
Conduct an observation of human social behavior in a public place (i.e., supermarket, church, nightclub) but not in a private area (i.e., bathroom, bedroom). Specific references should be made in the observation to principles discussed in class. These may include: altruism, attraction, conformity, gender, group influence, persuasion and/or prejudice.
Project Components
Introduction: The introductory paragraph of any paper, long or short, should start with a sentence that gets the reader interested in the paper. Start with a brief description of what the paper will be about. In a well-constructed first paragraph, that first sentence will lead into three or four sentences that provide details about main idea the paper. It should include a thesis statement, which is a one sentence summary of what the paper is about. The last sentence of this paragraph must also contain a transitional “hook” which moves the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the paper.
Abstracts: Locate five abstracts from social psychological literature relating to your observation. Introduce each and explain how the research helps form the research question for your observation. Use accurate in-text citation as appropriate. Attach the abstracts at the end of your paper – after the References section. It is acceptable to cut and paste the Abstract.
Goals: In this section, discuss the purpose of this observational study. Why is this study worth conducting? What do you as the researcher hope to accomplish by completing this study? Tie this study in with the abstracts that you are using as background for this study. List two to three goals for your observational study. You might want to view social behaviors between genders in certain contexts; examine social behaviors among ethnic/racial groups; or determine age related social behaviors in a group. Useful terms include investigate, discover, reveal, (one page).
Research question: Research question(s) are the hypotheses you form as you design your study. For this observation , you must have a specific question or set of questions that you are trying to answer. You might explore, for example, whether participants in your setting have any characteristic behaviors which are observable. In this section, state the question you are trying to answer. Your question must be detailed and specific. For example, are there distinguishable behaviors that lead a man to ask a woman to dance in a bar setting?; What are the specific behaviors of people who are paying attention in church?; Do older people influence the behavior of younger people?
Populations: Clearly and concisely describe the population to be observed. Are there specific typologies that can be formed based on the social behaviors observed? For example, “Cautious Carl” is the driver who has both hands on the wheel, drives no faster than the speed limit, and maintains a serious look on his face. “Smiling Samantha” is the woman who talks to all the people she passes in the supermarket aisle.
Setting: In this section, discuss the setting in which your observation will occur. Include sufficient detail so that it is clear how the setting might have affected behaviors discussed throughout the paper. The Introduction, Abstracts, Goals, Research Questions, Population and Setting are generally written before you conduct your observations. The rest of the paper is written after you have done the observation part of the study.
Observations: In this section, detail the behaviors which occurred during your observation. You should have between 1 to 3 sessions in your setting.
Results: In this section, state the results you observed related to your research question. Also, explain why you drew the conclusions you drew based on the behaviors. Include theories from social psychology that point to these results. Discuss the influence of your own experiences on your observation results.
References: In this section, list the references you quoted in your paper. Add a bibliography of books, articles, and Web sites that you recommend regarding your observations.
FORMATTING: Structure your paper utilizing APA style (7th Edition); this includes headings, double-spacing, appropriately sized sans serif or serif fonts (e.g., 12 Times Roman), one-inch margins (left, right, top, and bottom), page numbering, and logical flow from topic to topic. Include a title page and references page(s). Refer to APAStyle.com for sample of student papers.
Information and/or quotes from selected sources should be relevant and thoughtfully placed. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition, for proper form of in-text citations and references.