research on observation of abnormal behavior, simple

Purpose: The purpose of this two-step exercise is for you to conduct inductive and deductive research using qualitative methods. 

Note:
it is important that you conduct the observations as two distinct
events during this class; ‘recalling’ past observations is not the same
as purposefully observing your surroundings from a sociological
perspective, and applying two different types of reasoning to one
observation will not be ‘truthful’ or successful.

The purpose of this exercise if for you to observe one social setting or social artifact to
begin to detect patterns in human behavior – observance of norms and
potentially behaviors that deviate from the norm.  This week’s exercise
includes two parts. First, without any prep work, you will need to go to one public place (or conduct content analysis with your social artifact) and observe the people/artifact for 25 minutes. 
Social Setting: Note people’s behavior, their demeanor, their
reactions/interactions to/with each other.  Social artifact: from second
to second (for TV), or page to page (for print), Note themes, sounds
(i.. music), texture of page (i.e. ads in magazine), etc.  Second,
you will develop a research design with research problem, hypothesis
and operational definitions for variables; then you will conduct another 25 minutes of observations.

Disclaimer

Originality of attachments will be verified by Turnitin. Both you and your instructor will receive the results.

Part 1

1) 
Choose whether or not you will be conducting non-participant
observation in a social setting, or content analysis of a social
artifact

a.  Social setting: this should be a public place such as a park, mall, restaurant, etc.

b.  Social artifact: this may be ads in a particular magazine; one television show, a time-block of commercials, etc.

2) 
For your inductive approach, you will simply choose a time and
location/artifact for where you are going to conduct your observations

3)   

a.  Social Setting: Go to the specified location and proceed with your observations. 

 
i.  You must be a keen social observer; a ‘peeping Tom’ in the
sociological sense.  Take handwritten (recommended) and/or mental notes
of: 

1.  details about your chosen location (time of day, lighting, furniture, plants, sounds, temperature, smell, vibe/energy, etc)

2. 
the people around you, not only their behavior but general information
about their sociodemographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity,
gender, SES, etc);

3.  your thoughts and feelings while making observations

1. Social Artifact: At a specified time (i.e. when a particular show is), carefully observe your social artifact

 
i. Content analysis provides a sustained, systematic way to observe and
measure the portrayal of that reality, as opposed to the quick,
impressionistic way that we normally read consume media.  Take
handwritten notes of:

1.  Details about the setting in the images
you see (lighting, furniture, background, vibe/energy portrayed); if
audio-visual (note sounds such as pitch of voice, music, etc)

2. 
Note details about the people portrayed, not only their behavior but
general information about their sociodemographic characteristics (age,
race/ethnicity, gender, SES, sexuality);

4)  When you have
returned from you observation, type up your notes.  Review your notes
for patterns in behavior, socio-demographic characteristics, etc. 

5) 
Write-up your observations using ‘thick description’ of the location
(i.e. building you were in (what is the architecture like), descriptions
of people there (in terms of socio-demographic characteristics: age,
race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status), sounds, smells,
temperature, time of day and week, etc);

6)  Analyze trends you
identified in your observations/content analysis.  What is a possible
sociological/theoretical explanation for the trends you observed?  This
is best done by using sources to provide credibility to your analyses.

Part 2

7) 
 Based on your initial observations and written analyses, develop a
specific research problem/question to be further investigated (i.e. the
variation in behavior of males versus females when entering a store with
a glass store front)

8)  Identify the key variables you are going
to be investigating, and develop an operational definition for each of
them  (this should include at least two variables, but not more than
four). Your operational definitions will help to provide parameters for
how record variations in your observations.

9)  Write a hypothesis for what you expect to observe in your second round of observations.

10)  Repeat observations/content analysis

a. 
Social Setting – this should be done at the same social setting at
approximately the same time of day (if you can do this one week later on
the same day, it would be great!)

b.  Social Artifact – this
should be done at the same time (if commercial block), or with the same
show, or with a different issue of the same magazine , etc.

11) 
When you have returned from you observation, type up your notes.  Review
your notes for patterns in behavior, socio-demographic characteristics,
etc. and how they corresponded with your expectations/hypothesis 

12) 
Describe observations using ‘thick description’ of the location (i.e.
building you were in (what is the architecture like), descriptions of
people there (in terms of socio-demographic characteristics: age,
race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status), sounds, smells,
temperature, time of day and week, etc);

13)  Analyze your observations in terms of how they supported/did not support your hypothesis. 

14) 
What is a possible sociological/theoretical explanation for the trends
you observed?  This is best done by using sources to provide credibility
to your analyses.

15)  Discuss the differences between your
inductive observations and your deductive observations.  How did the way
you were observing change?  How did what you observed change?

16)  Briefly describe your thoughts/feelings in the two steps.  Did you prefer one approach to the other?  Why/why not?