Systematic Observation

Psychology

Project I

Systematic Observation

Systematic observation is an assessment strategy used to document behavior, activities, knowledge or skills of a sample space (here, a group of people) over a period of time, rather than assessing the sample space at the same time.

The rationale for our observations is to interpret the reading interests of males and females by the magazines they choose to buy. From the observations it can be hypothesized that what the sample space prefers to read in their leisure time. The results are substantial because one would spend money buying a magazine only when he/she is interested in it.

The reading interests of males and females, defined by what magazine they buy is observed in the study. One can conclude from the study the reading interests of males and females from the fact one would spend money buying a magazine only when he/she is interested in it.

The location where the observations were taken at a bookstore, Crossword situated at Ground Floor, Mohammadbhai Mansion, NSP Marg, Kemps Corner, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

The observations were taken by remaining unobtrusive. We went to the store as readers and there was no change in the environment or the behavior of the people as they did not know that they were being observed.

While conducting the study we went to the magazines section of the bookstore and using the pretext of reading, observed people choosing the magazines they prefer. We ourselves pretended to read, at a position where the whole magazine section is visible and what magazines people pick is also visible. The observations were taken on 15th, 16th and 17th December, 2009, 14:00-15:30 hrs. The observations were made by both the members of the group. The observations were recorded on a parchment of paper we were carrying with us.

The sample space includes both males and females. The people in the sample space are from the earning class. The sample space is divided into males and females on the basis that they think differently and have different preferences.

The results of the study are very interesting. Men and women have interests that are very particular. 8 out of 25 (32%) women bought women centric magazines, 22 (88%) preferred fashion, film and gossip magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Stardust, Showtime, GQ, People, Hello and OK!. 2 (8%) women bought Wedding Affair which is as the name suggests a magazine for brides-to-be and grooms-to-be. 1 (4%) woman went for Good Housekeeping.

Men on the other hand vest different interests. 9 out of 25 (36%) preferred technological magazines. 12 (48%) went for automobile magazines. 6 (24%) opted for current affairs magazines like The Economist, India Today and Outlook.

(Note: Sample spaces for different categories are not exclusive sets. They can be part of another set.)

The reason why we think that there is a difference in the behavior of males and females is because men and women are different. It is not necessary that what interests a woman must also evoke the same feeling from a man and vice-versa. This can be attributed to the fact that they think differently.

This simple observation forms a basis for elaborate investigation. It can be used in different contexts like understanding people better, using it to target desired content effectively and making target centric advertisements. The sample space can be broadened and the results can be thus made more global.

One of the limitations of the study was that we were limited to observe the people in one section of a city in just one bookstore. By extending it to other cities and different kinds of people, global inferences can be made. The observations can be taken by other means also. This study could also have been done by looking in to the sales records of the shop.

Our learning experience

Nishtha:

Crossword is a store where you can freely go through all content and analyze first before buying. But you buy content only what you want. Substantiality of our study is based on this. This is something I saw for myself. People go through a lot of different content but eventually pay for only what they really are interested in. Also, there are people who religiously go through different content but do not buy anything. But that behavior wasn’t considered.

This study can be used to understand the psychology of both genders and interpret what they do and why they do better.

Piyush:

The outcome of the study is very relevant information. It can be used in different contexts like understanding people better, using it to target desired content effectively and making target centric advertisements.

There is a very stark and opaque boundary of what interests man and what interests women. This is what I’ve learnt from the observations.