By now, it should be abundantly clear that behavioural research involves the collection of data and that there are a variety of ways to do so. For example, if we wanted to measure aggressive behaviour in children, we could collect those data by observing children with our eyes, by using equipment to measure the force with which they hit an object, by examining juvenile crime records, by surveying parents and teachers, by interviewing parents and teachers, or by administering an aggression scale to children. (In a sense, all of behavioural research is based upon observation. What we describe here is a specific kind of observational procedure.) Historically, behavioural research has relied heavily on this method, and it will undoubtedly continue to be a primary method for gathering behavioural data. Let’s begin this chapter by discussing the nature of observations, the ways to make observations, and the reliability of observations. Following this discussion, we will turn to other methods illustrated by the examples above.
The Nature of Observation
Observations involve the use of our sensory systems (including eyes and ears) to record behaviour. They require that humans make judgments about the occurrence of the behaviour, its frequency, its duration, or its latency. These measures are the basic data used to describe naturally occurring behaviour or to assess the effects of our independent variable. Therefore, they must be gathered with care. Observations such as these (judgments that behaviour has or has not occurred) are inherently more subjective than other data collection procedures. Because judgments are based on our perceptions, the same event occurring in the environment will be perceived differently by different people.