Monday, August 15, 2011

Toward a Unified Theory of Runner Social Behavior

Over the past few weeks, I've described some of my experienced with other runners on the York County Heritage Rail Trail. I've ranted and raved a bit about how despite my unfailing attempts to be friendly to other brave souls out on the trail on these warm humid mornings, other runners have tended to not return my greetings.

I'm not the only one investigating this important topic in social science. My Running Shorts, a far better blog than this one will ever be, featured a very authoritative investigation into this very subject.

In the interest of contributing to this weighty and relevant discussion, we here at Earn Your Donuts have decided to conduct our first foray into original research based on strict scientific methodology*.

We would appreciate it if each of our readers would take a few minutes to complete this short survey.

Click here to take survey

Thank you for your participation.



(She blinded me with science.)

*May not contain actual science.

3 comments:

  1. This reminds me if a guy who would never return my greeting in the Phoenix park, Dublin. We were the only two runners in the park at seven am most days during the most severe Irish winter in sixty years. You'd think the mutual solidarity that would engender would at least prompt a nodding gesture... but alas no. I gave up after about five attempts. Maybe the sight of someone on yaktraxs in the dark in a big urban park was a little creepy?

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  2. I'm certain your research findings will shed light on this critical but under-studied field of running behaviour.

    I am interested in your choice of an odd numbered Likert scale. I might have gone with an even number of options, to force the respondents to take a creepy or not creepy position. None of this neutral 'maybe creepy' 3.

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  3. @ Westley -- that's exactly what I'm talking about! Especially in conditions like that where you are the only two out.

    @ Runshorts -- d'oh! You caught me with bad survey design. I'm a former psych major, I should know better than that.

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