Explain in English

It might seem as if you've gone catatonic, staring at a crack in the sidewalk for so long, but really you're observing it as closely as possible for your study of ant movement.

Study has many different senses related to learning or concentrating. You might make a drawing of something you'll paint later — the drawing's a study. Your boss might ask you to do a study of your office's energy use. As a verb, study is for the work you do in the library, or for the act of really taking something in, the way you study your friend's face to see if she really forgot your birthday or if she's just joking.