Observational studies and data collection methods

Anthropological Observations

Walking downtown is normally an everyday occurrence for so many people. No one really expects to be walking down the street and become part of an empirical observation. Yet, it is inevitable that our actions and behaviors build the common culture we all share. Culture is essentially the foundation for the layers of society. It provides a set of norms and regulated behaviors that help unite people of otherwise different situational contexts. Yet, the culture of a region like the United States is incredible diverse. There are a number of cultural layers that can be seen within a single society. Different actions show allegiances to different subgroups within the larger society. Thus, the research states that "The shared cultural traits of subcultures set them apart from the rest of their society," (O'Neil 2006). Yet these subcultures are in such close proximity, they must find a method for interacting and dealing with one another.

In order to really immerse myself within the culture this research was examining, I wanted to conduct this observation in a neutral area. In order to achieve this, I went to a local Starbucks to observe people in an environment where they had no idea an observation were taking place. Essentially, being in the morning most people came and went on with their day, having no idea they were being watched. This provided an opportune time to examine people in a more natural light, but also to observe how people interact with one another when they think no one is looking. This observation spanned about thirty minutes, and focused on gathering an understanding about the mutual culture we all share.

Being that it was in the morning, the coffee shop was extremely busy. A number of different subcultures were in such close proximity, and thus it was interesting to see how they interacted with one another in the brief moments they were together. Only me and a few other people actually stopped and sat to drink our coffee. Everyone else was in a rush to where ever they were going. Since these were primarily strangers, no one really talked to each other outside of the barista asking for their order. This is why analyzing body movement became such an important anthropological tool to understand how the members of different subcultures interacted with each other. This is under the field of semiotics, which focuses on the understanding signs and signals that people give (Engel 2004). Most people were very stand offish towards other patrons of the coffee bar. They did not look each other in the eye, and held their limbs closely to themselves. Additionally, many were on their cell phones; it seemed like they were purposely trying to find ways to keep them from interacting with each other. This showed a clear disconnect between the different subgroups that are in such close proximity of one another. Only a few actually spoke to each other, and when this was observed it was typically using only brief statements. Social manners say a lot about a society's culture. Watching what interactions that did take place showed the clear signs of what is acceptable within this society. People would ask each other questions with polite statements ending in "please" and "thank you." This signifies a sense of manners, but also a sense of coldness that only is present within interactions between strangers. The interactions between these individuals were very formal, showing a use of language that separated the individuals from other members of society who might otherwise belong to different sub-groups. Although these members belonged to the same society, they may have been from different class backgrounds, which complicate their ability to relate to one another. There were some individuals dressed in professional attire, who seemed in more of a rush and less likely to engage in conversation with the strangers around them. Others were dressed more casually, and seemed to address others more causally and conversationally as well. This shows how behaviors can be tied to the construction on individual identities. How one looks helps one decides on how to behave. Thus, our understanding of ourselves in consort with the world around us is an important factor in how we determine our actions.