Primary Research Questions

·       What do I want to discover?

           I want to discover how personal behavior is affected by the surrounding area of the National Mall. I want to look at why certain things are placed in the orientation that they are. This style can change the overall feeling and look of a location.

·       How do I plan on discovering it? (This is called your research methods or methodology)

I plan to discover this by researching architecture and how it can influence mood and thought. I want to try and interview someone that is personally involved with developing and maintaining the National Mall and its surrounding areas.

·       Who am I going to talk to/observe/survey? (These people are called your subjects or participants)

I want to talk with someone that is personally involved with the development of Washington, D.C and how the national monuments can influence behavior.

·       How am I going to be able gain access to these groups or individuals?

I am going to gain access by looking though public documents and networking with potential people. Living within a short distance to Washington, D.C. means that a lot of these potential people could possibly live close to me. I will look online and try and circulate my questions around to possibly find the right person/people.

·       What are my biases about this topic?

I feel that I do not have many biases. I live in the D.C. area so having the ‘tourist’ feeling that everything is great because I saw it once is gone. I have been there multiple times and have had a wide array of feelings about this area. I also would not personally feel offended if someone was to critique the area poorly because I do not have a great personal tie to the mall.

·       How can I make sure my biases are not reflected in my research methods?

I will make sure that I word my questions in a fair manner as to not sway a response in a certain direction. I also plan to use more open ended responses to allow the interviewee to respond how they feel comfortable.

·       What do I expect to discover?

I expect to discover a personal connection to the area. I plan to get a deeper understanding to the why of why things were laid out in a certain manner.

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