Testing the hypothesis: People work harder/faster when they are being watched

Testing the hypothesis: People work harder/faster when they are being watched
There are different types of research methods that can be used to test a hypothesis. Survey is a research method that uses a sample of a population to collect required data through the administration of questionnaires. Also, Case study is a research method that carries out a detailed investigation on individuals, community or a group by the use of secondary data analysis, interviews or observations. Participant Observation is a research method where the researcher takes part in the ongoing activities and takes notes on his/her observation. This paper is going to describe how the above research methods can be used to test the hypothesis: People work harder/faster when they are being watched. Further, the paper will identify their weaknesses and the features that make them different from each other.
Survey method
When using this method, one prepares questionnaires that the targeted respondents are going to use to respond to the hypothesis. There are two types of questionnaire questions which are classified depending on the answers that the responded can give. For instance, there is the closed-ended question which one is given an option to either tick yes or no or agree or disagree. On the other hand, we have the open-ended questions which allow the respondents to answer the questions as they wish. When testing the hypothesis: People work harder/faster when they are being watched, the researcher can come up with questions such as “people work harder under observation” for closed-ended questions.

For open-ended questions, the researcher can have a question like “give reasons why you agree or disagree with the statement above.” It’s important to note that the closed-ended questions are more preferred when conducting a survey because the research can tally the frequency of responses given unlike when one has to read the reasons given. Finally when all the questionnaires are completed, then a conclusion is reached depending on the responses. Survey is a cheap method and it does not require a lot of capital to be accomplished. It is also convenient because one only deals with a sample of the population and not all the population. However, despite this method being preferred by many researchers, it has some shortcomings such as the fact that the respondents can fail to give some insightful information, especially in closed-ended questions. The researcher does not get to interact with the respondents and get to know the cause of their responses. The respondents can also fail to answer the questions at all (Patton, 1990).
Case study
The researcher when using case study method analysis secondary data that gives details on the hypothesis being researched on. Norman Triplett carried out a study that concluded when children are competing against each other tend to perform better as compared to when they are in the non-competing environment. This theory tries to give information on our hypothesis that people work harder/faster when being watched. When using the self-presentation approach, the theory on arousal describes how individuals become more alert on their self-image. It shows that people want to look more presentable to avoid any negative view when they are in the presence of others. Additionally, the researcher can conduct interviews to the group being targeted to test this hypothesis and make the research more detailed. On the hand, observations can also be used when using case study method. In our case, the researcher can take the time to identify how different situations such as when people are competing in the sport before the audience then observation how they react when alone in training. The researcher can also observation the behavior of employees in the presence of their employers and when working alone. In conclusion, all the findings are analyzed to come up with a final statement. One merit of using this method of research is that it’s effective especially when the research is based on a unique case. Nevertheless, the method is not dependable unless used as a secondary way to support the research since it’s not possible to conclude a study based on findings from one person. Also, it can be difficult to find data from secondary materials for some researches, or some data may not be accurate (Strube, 2005, p. 278).
Participant Observation
When using this method to test the hypothesis: People work harder/faster when they are being watched, the researcher joins the group being studied and becomes part of them just to make observations for the study. For instance, the researcher can decide to join an organization for a part-time voluntary job and observe the employees on their point of view. This method is one of the most accurate methods since it gives the researcher firsthand information without having to follow the procedures used by another method such as preparing questionnaires. The researcher has the advantage of getting very detailed information because their identity is mostly hidden making the group act normally to their life situations. The researcher can ask questions like “what does the employer expect the employees to behave” such questions give the insider information on the performance of employees when the employer is watching. Nonetheless, as much as the method is effective and gives firsthand information, it consumes a lot of time and can be expensive too especially in a case where the researcher has to move and live in a community just to get data (Patton, 1990).
All methods can be used to test the given hypothesis, but they have some difference. The survey method uses questionnaires which are administered to the sampled population, unlike the case study which uses documented data and interviews. On the other hand, participant observation has the researcher joining the group to collect data. Survey method is similar to participant observation in that they both base their studies on a wide range of respondents, unlike case study which bases its claims on one person.
References
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. SAGE Publications, inc.
Strube, M. J. (2005). What did Triplett really find? A contemporary analysis of the first experiment in social psychology. The American journal of psychology, 271-286.