Naturalistic Observation

Abstract Naturalistic observation involves recording subjects’ naturally occurring behavior while they are in their natural environment. This experiment revolves around this type of observation. Specifically, it involves the observation of the various human dyads (male-female, male-male, female-female,) social interaction, within in a public environment. Focal points of observation included conversation space (distance between individuals heads,), and body language. All behaviors were observed in an unobtrusive manner. Introduction The acceptable distance for a conversation between adults is greatly affected by the cultural background of the participants and the gender of those involved (Hall, 1966, Reidhead, Good, & Stopka, 1984; Sommer, 1969). Previous work has shown that, “observational studies in real life situations have found that individuals in Arab and Latin American countries, in general, stand significantly closer to one another during conversations than do Americans and Northern Europeans (e.g., Hall, 1966; Sanders, Hakky, & Brizzolara, 1985). Within the American culture, studies have

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