Observations: People Holding the Door for Each Other, Method

Method:
Our test subjects included anybody who entered or exited the library during our observation period. Observations were made at the library’s entrance. Observers sat inside the building, off to the side of the entrance, so as not to affect persons entering or leaving the library, while holding a notebook. In that notebook, several columns were drafted under which tallies could be made. The observers closely watched individuals entering and leaving the library to identify their gender and record their frequency in opening or holding open a door for other individuals. In essence, the observation sought to record the frequency at which men held the door open for other men and women, and the frequency at which women held the door open for other women and men. For each occurrence of the above stated activity, a tally was made in the appropriate column of the spreadsheet.