Comment on a Classmate Proposal

The place to perform an observational study is at a bus station. The bus station is a place where many people gather from different walks of life. This is a place where behaviors can be well studied, as people are not under any pressure. It is a place where every person is free to move or stay. Hence, getting an interviewee may not be a challenge. In addition, the bus station will always have certain activities that trigger emotions either negatively or positively thus, it is easy to note behavioral changes.
 
How to take notes on people’s behavior it is beneficial to have a tabulated paper to fill in any information obtained from the study. A small notebook would come in handy because it is easy to carry and does not limit a person while moving around the station (even when crowded).
 
Having a recording device can be beneficial for the sake of recording any sudden events that may contribute to the study such as a camera or a mobile phone.
 
Response from other people
 
Most people may not respond positively once they notice the observational study-taking place. Therefore, it is essential to seek for permission while taking notes concerning a particular person. Consequentially, it ought to be decisive to use the recording device to capture information to take notes later.
 
Considering this, it is indispensable to take the first stand to approach people and explain the project at hand rather than to wait for the subjects to volunteer. Most people do not consent to observational studies.
 
How to go about conducting the research
 
The observational study at the bus station is to establish how street venders are handled by the public at the bus station. This study is meant to establish a better way of handling business at the station.
 
The notes I would take would be to
 
1. Note the reactions of the people towards the street vendors.
 
2. Note the mode of approach used by various vendors while approaching the prospective client.
 
3. Note whether the travelers call for vendors services or not.
 
4. Note the security at the bus station concerning other people around the place.
 
There are two parts of the study
 
i) Participate in the research by posing as a street hawker. This will require me to present myself as a street vendor with fruits for sale to the travelers. I will have a recording device hidden to record a conversation.
 
ii) Hidden observation: this is to observe the normal vendors while performing their daily businesses at the bus station. During this section, I will pose as a traveler at the waiting bay. I will be taking necessary notes on the reactions of the travelers while conversion with the street vendor.
 
iii) The third part is to have a face-to-face with one of the travelers who has had an encounter with a street vendor. This conversation will be recorded, and I will take notes on the same too.
 
While performing my study people may notice, my writing notes especially security people in the area. Hence, I would prefer to take the first step to approach security people to notify them of the study in order to avoid cases of interruptions.
 
Comment on a Classmate Proposal
 
Author: Michelle Muzic dated on august 7, 2012
 
The proposal is well designed and it is an appropriate study. The choice of place of study is well thought of by Muzic. The school is a place one can easily blend in with other students. In addition, the choice of position to take notes during the research is appropriate for observation. The style of taking notes fits well in to the approach of study because students will not suspect any observation. In addition, all aspects of study including the questions will be effectively answered while at the same place.
 
However, my question is, How would you note that a student’s has left in the middle of a lecture or at the end of the same without talking to a student.
 
I would suggest that you perform an interview at the end of the observation to obtain back up information for the observations done.
 
Mod 6 Disc 2: Content Analysis
 
What is content analysis?
 
This refers to the means of making analysis of given information in communication (Babbie, 2010).
 
Exemplify the disparity between manifest and latent content.
 
Latent content refers to the analysis of a dream, and interpretation given to a person by psychoanalysis while manifest content refers to the impression and desire that arise within an individual, which result form a dream that affect the conscious thinking of a person.
 
What was the medium for analyses (for example, music, video games, or television)? Be sure to cite the article in APA format.
 
The author of the article highlights the extreme effects of violent media, which increasing in the market today. The researcher has studied most of the violent recording that are used by the youth and children for entertainments. According to the study done, these media sources play a key role in inciting violent behaviors from its observers across the globe. The medium of analysis includes video games and television (Anderson et. al, 2003).
 
How the author assessed the manifest and latent content of the construct.
 
In this article, the author has assessed latent content from medical personnel that explain the effect of the violent media. On the other hand, manifest content is obtained from the people who have engaged in using the violent media (Anderson et. al, 2003).
 
Finally, select the initial posting of at least one other classmate and discuss how the described study reflects points raised by Babbie about content analysis and how you would strengthen the study.
 
References
 
Anderson et al. (2003). Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The Influence of Media Violence on Youth, 4(3). Pp 81-110.
 
Babbie, E.R. (2010). The Practice of Social Research. New York: Cengage Learning.