Formal prescriptions about how scientific research should be conducted often fail to capture the creativity of the best scientists. Therefore, advice on how to design research must be given and taken with caution. Some research might simply involve carefully watching an animal to see what it does next. This type of work should not be scorned. Performing an experiment may seem more ‘scientific’ than open-ended observation but the yield may be less. Many questions about behaviour are most appropriately answered by non-experimental observational research. Such work can also help to distinguish between alternative explanations if, for example, naturally occurring events demonstrate associations between variables that previously seemed unrelated, or break associations between variables that previously seemed to be bound together. Moreover, worthwhile experimental research almost invariably needs to be preceded by careful observation. Knowledge of the normal behaviour of animals, preferably in their natural environment, is an invaluable precursor to experimental research.

Performing experiments

The point of an experiment is to find out whether varying one condition produces a particular outcome, thereby reducing the number of plausible alternative hypotheses that could be used to account for the results. You will almost inevitably have some expectations about the outcome of an experiment, even if you are not consciously aware of these expectations. This potential source of bias can be removed by ensuring that the person making the measurements is unaware of which treatment each subject has received until after the experiment is over.