Title: Descriptive Observation and Experiment
Headings: Descriptive Observation and Experiment
Descriptive Observation and Experiment
Non-systematic Observation
Systematic Observation
Degree of Manipulation
Indirect Methods of Recording an Activity

Content: Hypothesis based Study. Your starting point is a credible theory and a hypothesis that asserts that a certain cause (or "stimulus") produces - at least usually - a certain effect ("reaction"). The target of your project is to verify the hypothesis. The most simple and effective method for this is usually to arrange a series of experiments where you only observe and record two characteristics of the activity: the stimulus and the reaction. Beside the existence of a model, other factors that have to be noted when selecting a descriptive research method are the target of the study and the nature of the activity to be studied. These come into surface especially in the following questions: Setting and disturbances. Many activities normally take place "in the field" in noisy environments where various factors which are not interesting in the study instigate variation in the activity and its recording. In order to avoid this disturbing variation you might wish to arrange the empirical study in a secluded room or laboratory, in the form of systematic observation or experiment.