Examples Of Naturalistic Observation

“Naturalistic Observation is a research method commonly used by psychologists and other social scientists. This technique involves observing subjects in their natural environment. This type of research is often utilized in situations where conducting lab research is unrealistic, cost prohibitive or would unduly affect the subject's behavior” (verywell.com). My experiment is an example of naturalistic observation because I watched and listened to conversations without interjecting myself or revealing to the subjects that I was observing them. I sat in Starbucks for about an hour listening to a conversation between three men sitting behind me and watching a conversation happening between two people sitting outside. I went to Starbucks at 4:00
After about ten minutes of sitting in Starbucks, a man with glasses approached the man sitting behind me. I assumed that they must have been old friends because the man came over and said “Hey, what have you been up to lately?” The man behind me, a bit older than the other, responded “Not enough.” They both laughed at that and I could tell that the older man is very witty. They entered a conversation about their upcoming architectural projects and the older man showed the man with glasses his designs for a new building. I concluded that they must have met each other through work. They talked about the older man’s designs for the building for a while, including an extensive conversation about whether the windows are going to open in or out. The conversation took a more personal turn, suggesting they have known each other for a while, when the older man asked about the son of the man with glasses. He explained his son has been trying to figure out what he is going to do with his life and that they are on speaking terms again. The man with glasses said that whatever he does, his son wants to make a lot of money. After that, the older man made a joke: “Maybe he’ll win the lottery.” They both laughed and