Individual Data Collection Analysis
Observation studies are those studies where individuals are observed or certain outcomes are measured (Science, 2017). In addition, there are no attempts to affect the outcome of the study. Furthermore, establishing cause and effect are difficult in observation studies. However, among variables, associations and predictabilities can be investigated (Science, 2017). This document will overview an observation study of gift buying by males for Mother’s Day.
Designing an Observation Study
The design of an observation study is accomplished in various ways depending on the objective of the study, the type of data collected and available resources for the study (Science, 2017). There are many types of observation
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Mother’s Day is the next big holiday after Christmas and Valentines Days when it comes to giving cards (Enten, 2012). There are 1.6 billion Christmas cards given annually, 151 million Valentine’s Day card, 141 million Mother’s Day cards and 93 million Father’s Day cards. Mother’s Day cards outpace Father’s Day cards by more than 30 million (Enten, 2012). While Mother’s Day earns the number three spot for the most card giving day, Mother’s Day is the second most popular day for giving gifts. A Mother’s Day Observation Study was executed to observe what type of gifts males were purchasing for Mother’s Day in three different Department Stores in Fayetteville Georgia. Like most holidays most people wait until the last minute to purchase gifts and Mother’s Day is no exception. The observation took place the day before Mother’s Day.
Data Collection. It is imperative for the data to be accurate and reliable in the data collection process of an observation study (Bartlett, 2013). The researcher decides how to classify and record the data usually involving a method of sampling (McLeod, 2015. There are a variety of sampling methods for collecting data like event sampling, time sampling and instantaneous (target time) sampling. When the observer decides in advance specified time periods is an example of time
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There are advantages and disadvantages to observation studies. An advantage of observation studies is because it is in a natural setting it has more accuracy reflecting real Life behavior versus a controlled behavior. Oftentimes, observation studies generate new ideas during the observation. The disadvantage of observation studies is the method can be time consuming to gather the information since the subject are not being influenced in any way. Also, observational studies are difficult for another researcher to duplicate. The advantages and disadvantages were all true for the Mother’s Day observational study. The data collected is accurate, however, it was time consuming to collect the data at all three locations for thirty subjects at each
Different observation techniques help to focus the observation so appropriate data is collected and presented in meaningful ways.
Naturalistic observational research is important because it allows researchers to observe people in a natural habitat without any variable manipulation. Most importantly in naturalistic observation, the researcher does not interfere with the situation in any way. Naturalistic observation can be structured or unstructured; for this study, unstructured naturalistic observation was mostly used. There were pre-determined characteristics that the researchers wrote down on a spreadsheet, however, specific behaviors were recorded as they happened (i.e., the type of reaction that resulted from each person who picked up the card). Naturalistic observation is important in psychological research because it gives insight into the natural behaviors of people. When a person is unaware they are being observed it reduces change in behavior, which can occur when if they are aware that they are being observed.
It is important that when Observing and recording you of selecting the appropriate method to suit desired aim of the observation it. We do observations to help look at the different areas of development i.e. physical, intellectual, emotional, and social.
Mothers are pictured as the care giver of the families and the ones who love their children unconditionally no matter the situation. They’ll do anything to support their family and raise their children right. In “The Queen of Mold” by Ruth Reichl, the mother in the story is pictured as the one who makes a meal almost out of nothing, just to provide and have something on the table for her family. Even though the food she cooks is moldy, this is how she demonstrates her motherly love.. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the mother is portrayed at first as an over excited mother waiting for her over achieving daughter Dee. As the story progresses the excitement for the daughter starts to go away and her motherly love towards Dee becomes complicated because Dee thinks she is greater and much smarter than the rest. Both of the stories depict complex motherhood, in Reichl story her mother’s love becomes complicated when she cooks food for the guest and her daughter tries to save the guest from being killed, while by the end of Walker story she only has love for the one daughter that has always been by her side and that’s Maggie.
Data collection methods are the third process. Data can be collected in many ways such as: observation, surveys, focus groups, and reanalysis of existing data, questionnaires, and interviews (Hagan, 2010, p. 19). Data collection is a vital portion of any kind of research. Inaccurate data collection will affect the results of a study and inevitably lead to invalid results.
gathering data in regards to the event, then the data needs to be analyzed, and the final step is
Data Collection Method (s): (example: Weekly weigh-ins, self-report on daily checklist, observation reported on weekly record, “Healthy Baby” checklist for recording daily food intake, pre or post-test or observation, etc.)
There are a number of methods of collecting data, some of them are – questionnaire, surveys, checklists, interviews, observations, focus group etc (Cordray, 1986; Einhorn and Hogarth, 1986).
The primary data collection method of this study is observations. I intend to reflect on my own beliefs daily, in order to remain as objective as possible. Data collection conducted through observations alone can produce filtered results based on the perspective of the observer. That is one of the issues that I anticipate to arise when conducting data collection. That is why recon-naissance will be a necessary task before and after collecting observational data. With a concrete definition of the term behavioral outcomes and daily reconnaissance, I believe this will provide me with an adequate checks and balances and data management system for my research. Accord-ing to Gay, Mills, & Airasian, “By observing the classes, you will obtain much more objective information that can be compared to the self-reports of
In conclusion, it is evident that research is imperative. Research must be kept within the parameters of the so that the information obtained us justifiable and can be used in a court of law when necessary. Police officer’s dedicate themselves to striving in protecting their communities from harm. Officers put their lives on the line as well as place strain on their family lives so that we don’t have to.
Throughout this course I have learned many things about research at an introductory level. Research is a critical part of all of our lives in many ways. God blesses each of us with a degree of common sense and we all learn from observing others even as babies, we learned behaviors and skills by observing our parents. Walking through experiences throughout life teach us a lot we need to know as well but sometimes we have to take a better approach when we need to learn about certain things. Many of us know that what works in some situations or with certain individuals doesn’t always work or is the safest option for another situation. Controlled and precisely organized study allows scientists to compare and examine contrasting methods and concepts, also helps them to discover various approaches and be able to learn from individual’s behaviors and experiences. I will act as the case study throughout this paper in order to observe what I have learned about.
Data received through observation of events are generally more reliable and free from respondent bias
Hallmark and FTD have made a fortune on gift buying for mom on Mother’s Day, but it might be time to move away from the standard bouquet of flowers and the frilly, glittery card and embrace some new gift ideas. Mother’s Day is officially and unofficially recognized in most countries worldwide. Whether or not it is called Mother’s Day depends upon the country celebrating it. One thing is true no matter where you are, and that is that mothers are honored and given gifts like flowers from their children and grandchildren. As evidenced by statistics from AT&T, more long distance phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year.
A study design is the procedure that guides a researcher on how to collect, analyze and interpret observations. It is a logical model that guides the investigator while he navigates through the various stages of the research. Study types can be classified severally depending on the research strategy employed. A study type can be non-interventional that is ‘observational’ where a researcher just observes and analyses researchable objects or situations without intervening. Non-interventional study designs can be exploratory, descriptive or comparative. A study can also be
After having analysed what the 50 women had to say in the Pilot study, the following Methodology was adopted for the final study. Quantitative Methodology with the Survey was considered the most feasible method for the present study. It is less oriented towards representatives and more towards finding associations and explanations, less towards description and more towards prediction, less lightly to ask ‘how many’, than ‘why’ and what goes with ‘what’.