Naturalistic Observation - Assignment Example

The mother is dressed in a black pair of jeans, with what seems to be a white top; the latter is overshadowed with the thick cape she wears around her. The child is also wrapped around a big cloth, and the exact attire is beyond visual range. The husband wears blue jeans and a green cardigan, apart from the seemingly thick glasses that rest on his nose. The mother seems tired and is holding the child in her lap. She is surrounded by two small bags, one of which seems to contain the accessories of the child.

She constantly is looking here and there, outside towards the sky, then towards the magnanimous screen that shows the status of all flights - delayed! The husband is sitting beside her and trying in vain to concentrate on a newspaper. She repeatedly addresses him, and despite a small shiver of the lips, he remains engrossed in the paper. The child is finding this ordeal uncomfortable, and after every few minutes, there is an evident stretching and retraction of limbs - something that adds to the irritability of the mother.

She turns again to the husband while saying something, and he looks back, again in silence. He then gets up and goes to the inquiry desk, and trots over with minimal enthusiasm on his face. He tries to find a way amongst the dozens that line around the counter, possibly asking the exact same question to the flabbergasted official. The same resolute reply gives anguish to many, and aggression to the others. The wife keeps looking at his gait, and upon his return, he murmurs something that adds a helpless frown to the wife's face.

Second 10 minute period She continues to say something fretful to the husband, ended by a firm groan. With a sudden 'ok', the husband swiftly but carefully turns to his side and grasps the existence of the child around his arms, and onto his lap. Suddenly feeling lighter, the wife stretches her legs with her hands on her knees to make sure they still move the way she wants. She again turns over to the husband, but this time without a frown, and asks if he would like to have something to drink.

A nod in negation from him serves the answer, while she digs into her bag, and comes forth with a steel flask. She pours something from the flask into the cap which now is the cup and quickly escaping steam vouches for the fact that it is still hot. Once in her hand, she again looks at her husband and stretches her arm towards him, offering him the cup again. Not being able to withstand the head-on aroma of the beverage, his eyes brightened. The wife saw that and seeing that his arms were locked around the child, she gave him a sip from the cup with her own hand and then treated herself as well.

Final 20 minute period After viewing the initial interaction between them, I came to the hypothesis that the wife is more likely to take the lead in the conversion. Being temporarily relieved of the slight stress she was in, she was more likely to start afresh, and deal with the situation constructively. They did start talking, and it was actually the wife taking the driving seat. However, this time, there was greater participation from the side of the husband than a silent nod or an inaudible murmur.