Introduction

The book discusses various measurement and statistical issues involved in studies where data are acquired through direct observations of human or animal behaviors. Since the process of Systematic observation is rigidly controlled, the nature of the data gathered is well defined. Hence, systematic methods for the assessment of data quality and for data analysis can be developed. Systematic direct behavioral observation has been used in the vast majority of published studies in many behavioral journals. Its application is particularly popular in psychology, biology, anthropology, medicine, and many social sciences. Most subsequent growth in behavioral assessment proved to have wider applications in the general area of behavioral observation across disciplines than originally intended. There are two primary approaches to the systematic direct observation of behavior. These two approaches can be categorized roughly into a qualitative and a quantitative approach. Without quantitative confirmatory observations, qualitative methods may lead to little more than the investigator's personal view of the phenomenon.