Observation: Observe three individuals from three points in the life span. Only use subjects you do not know and to whom you are not related. Select one subject from each of the following periods:
- Early Childhood (3-5 years old)
- Middle Childhood through Adolescence (7-19 years old)
- Adulthood (20 years and older)
Record: Record at least one example for each of the terms on the Life-Span Development Observation Form.
Assign Code Names: Assign a code name to subjects observed to protect their privacy. Code names usually reflect a characteristic of the subject such as “Miss Eats A Lot” or “Little Blue Shirt.”
Locations: Complete observations in a public place such as McDonald’s, a classroom, a clinic waiting room, athletic practice, a church youth group, a retirement center, or a workplace. If you are a deployed student, inform the course instructor of your situation. In such cases, children may be observed through movies or parent interviews.
Signatures Required: Obtain the signature of an adult in the observation environment as a supervisor. This is for your protection. An adult is then a witness that you are intently observing a subject for academic purposes. If it is difficult to transmit a signature, obtain contact information to record on the form.
Record Specific, Objective Descriptions of Behavior for Each Term Listed: This is a clinical-style report. Therefore, list the term and provide an example of the behavior. Do not state an opinion or make a judgment concerning the behavior. Simply describe the behavior observed. Be descriptive and provide specific factual information. Below is an example of a Receptive Language description:
Receptive Language: The teacher asked Red Shirt to place his coat in his cubby. Red Shirt said, “Yes, mam.” He placed his coat in the correct cubby.
Receptive Language: “Hero could hear his coach call him to come on the field from a distance of approximately 50 feet with traffic noise in the background.”
Avoid Non-Objective Statements: For example: “He has a great vocabulary for his age.” “She had an attitude toward her mother.” “Bright Eyes was the tallest in her class.”
Time: Allow yourself sufficient time to gather data. Young children move more rapidly and produce a great deal of observable data very quickly. Older adults may require a longer observation period in order to collect a sample for each term listed.