Project on human development in Chicago neighborhoods
Subtitle: systematic social observation
Published: 1994
Place of publication: 1994-
Language: eng
Subjects: Community development; Research; Criminal behavior; Juvenile delinquency
Description: The purpose of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods was to understand how families, schools, and neighborhoods affect child and adolescent development. This included an extensive undertaking on understanding the causes and the pathways of juvenile delinquency, adult crime, substance abuse, and violence. The Project had a focus on studying problematic behavior as well as an interest in social competence. The long-term objectives were to create knowledge that would inform violence prevention strategies and help develop better approaches to the promotion of social competence in children from infancy to young adulthood.

In 1995, the PHDCN initiated a combined person-based and video-taped approach to collecting systematic observations of neighborhood. 80 of the 343 Neighborhood Clusters were used in this study. Once the sampling was complete, the block face (the block segment on one side of the street) became the unit of observation. Using videotape and observer logs, data were collected in the 80 sampled Chicago neighborhoods. Only a sample of block faces were selected for coding due to budget expenses.

The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) collected the data for the SSO. Between June and September of 1995, trained observers from the NORC drove a sports Utility Vehicle down every block within the 80 sampled neighborhoods. The videographer videotaped both sides of each block, while the observers recorded characteristics of each block face on observer logs. Further coding of the videotapes and observer logs were conducted by the NORC staff.

The Murray Center holds computer and videotaped data from this wave of data collection.
Notes: Sample characteristics: sample size: over 1000; time: 90s; race: mixed; age: mixed; number of generations: ; gender: female, male; ses: mixed.

Data collection methods: design: field study; length of data collection: 1-2 years; measures: behavioral observations, other.

Follow-up: follow-up possible: no.