Correlations and the Explanation of Distributions

Abstract

The category of material objects observed in this study is litter; specifically, artifacts occurring in outdoor areas used primarily for pedestrian traffic. This investigation sought to answer the question: What, if any, discrepancy is observed between the ideal and actual behavior of people in the presence of opportunities for disposing of unwanted items as secondary refuse? The hypothesis to be tested is that the presence of trash cans (or other receptacles) acts as a deterrent to littering only if the size of the object to be discarded exceeds certain dimensions.