Human Observation Project - Research Paper Example

HUMAN OBSERVATION PROJECT Affiliated: ment of the Problem Observation of human behavior as far as damping of urban waste is concerned has become an issue of concern in the cities. Waste management is drawing an increasing attention. It is observed that although some cities are clean, too much garbage still litters most urban centers. The plastic bags, wrappings and fruit peeling are some of the trash that the municipal councils must contend with. This garbage lies uncollected in the streets, causing environmental pollution, inconvenience, and being a public health risk. Although the government applies all means to arrest this behavior, people continue to damp trash carelessly and the piles of waste keep on growing. This problem is likely to intensify unless alternative approaches are made through campaigns to sensitize people on the need to take care of the environment. As a result, the private formal sector becomes the key participant in most urban waste management activities that include collecting, transportation, separation, processing, treatment and composting (Yurita, 2008). In fact, this is a problem that needs to be addressed at individual level given that it starts with ignorance and people attitude. To a greater attribute to extent this damping is an attribute to people’s behaviors such as negligence, ignorance and carelessness. This is a behavior that requires close observation to ensure that urban centers remain without litter on the streets. Theory In this project, it is observed that major urban cities are littered with trash. This trash is from ill behaved people who lack discipline. In every ten persons who buy confectionaries, five of them will dispose the wrappings on the ground. The remaining five will look for dustbins to dispose of the waste or take home the trash for proper disposal. Hypothesis Most women are more disciplined compared to men regardless of their academic background. Most women will carry their trash home if the dust bin appears to be placed far from them. Procedure Observer In this project, a precise procedure was used when carrying out the research. The observer was seated outside a bus station shop with a dust bin provided at the exit. The reason for using an observer was to gain intuitive understanding of the data in question. It also saved the researcher much time and opened up wider areas of inquiry to collect wider range of data. On the same note, it was easy to reduce the problem of reactivity by the culprits. In addition, it was possible to avoid aspects of self reported data that would show bias. The observer was visible to the subjects being observed but the subjects were oblivious to his actions and they were not able to understand what was going on. This was able to put him in direct with phenomena of interest and this minimized unrivaled data collection techniques. This also enabled the observer to see the behavior of interest as it occurred. Data Collection Procedure Observation was used as a way of gathering behavior, physical characteristics and events in tier natural settings. This research was covert where nobody knew they were being observed, but the observer was not concealed. The main strength of observation in behavior studies is that it provides straight access to the social phenomena under study. Other than depend on some kind of self-report, like wanting to know what people would do in a certain situation, it is actually easier to observe and record their behavior. This avoids the wide range of tribulations associated with self-report. In fact, during an interview condition or when responding to a questionnaire item, an interviewee may not all the time provide precise or absolute information, or he might answer in ways that communicates to what is socially enviable (Clegg, 2003). Steps The data collection procedure involved preparation of check lists and recording sheets which were used as the most standardized way of collecting data that would be describable in advance. Second was preparation use of observation guide which would assist the observer to gather the most suitable information regarding behavior, processes and interactions of the people being observed with the environment. Third, was selection of the site where the observations would best be made. It was found that the best place would be at a confectionary shop where customers visiting the shop would comprise all ages. Fourth, was to select and train the observer. It involved a short acquisition to the environment and to process of observation. The level of training was based on the capability of the trainee and the complexity of the data collection procedure. Lastly, this involved timing the observations appropriately. The programs and sequence of events to be incorporated in the project were well planned to avoid inconveniences. This involved scheduling the observations to ensure that only the components of activities that would enhance evaluation were answered. This was done through proper planning. In this data collection procedure various observations were expected. (Please see the table below) The observations were made for 8 hours when the shop was in operation starting 8.00 am to 4.00 pm a total of 100 patrons to the shop were keenly observed to ascertain their behavior as far as their attitude toward waste disposal is concerned. Gender Estimated Age Observation Male 30 Used dust bin Female 50 Did not use but carried the wrappings Male 25 Did not use Female 60 Used dust bin Male 35 Used dust bin Female 50 Used dust bin Male 50 Did not use dust bin Female 15 Did not use Male 25 Used dust bin Female 30 Did not use Table showing the observed waste disposal behavior pattern outside a common shop Results It was observed that 50 % of both male and females used the dust bin for refuse damping while the remaining 40 % never used the dust bin. The remaining 10% took the trash to their home. Numerically, it was found that out of the 100 people observed, a sample of 10 people was used as a representative. Most people in the age group bracket between 50 and 60 years showed a high level of responsibility with majority disposing the papers in a dust bin. Most people of younger age below 35 years did not strictly adhere to responsibilities and did not use the dust bin as it was expected. Also, 10% of females were found to carry their trash home as opposed to men in the same age bracket. The youngest persons in the representative sample showed the least level of responsibility as shown on the table. Discussion To this end, it is found that human behaviors are complex and that society is made up of different personalities. On the same note, it is found that behavior can be learned, relearned or unlearned. The most elderly in the research were found to uphold to discipline and responsibilities as compared to the young. As a result, careless damping of waste is a behavior that can easily be controlled with proper cultivation of discipline. Although various bodies should take it as their own responsibility to ensure that rules are obeyed, it remains a foregone conclusion that every person is capable of demonstrating a sense of self belonging and self control. This emanates from the ego that motivates one to do good not only for his own benefit but also for the benefit of others. In conclusion, people should stop being ignorant and appreciate the natural heritage by maintaining high level of sanitation for a clean environment. References Clegg, J. W. (2003). Self-Observation in the Social Sciences. New York: Transaction Publishers. Yurita, M. (2008). Metahistory and Memory. Tokyo: ProQuest. Read More