The scope of this book

This book is intended as a guide to all those who are about to start work involving the measurement of directly observed behaviour. We hope it will also be useful for those wanting to refresh their memories about both the possibilities and the shortcomings of available techniques.

Those who have never attempted to measure behaviour may suppose from the safety of an armchair that the job is an easy and straightforward one, requiring no special knowledge or skills. Is it not simply a matter of writing down what happens? In sharp contrast, those attempting to make systematic measurements of behaviour for the first time are often appalled by the apparent difficulty of the job facing them. How will they ever notice, let alone record accurately and systematically, all that is happening? The truth is that measuring behaviour is a skill, but not one that is especially difficult to master, given some basic knowledge and an awareness of the possible pitfalls.

The purpose of this book is to provide the basic knowledge in a succinct and easily understood form, enabling the beginner to start measuring behaviour accurately and reliably. A great deal of high-quality behavioural research can be done without the need for specialised skills or elaborate and expensive equipment.

Sometimes it is possible to carry out behavioural research simply by relying on written descriptions of what the subjects do. Usually, though, worthwhile research will require that at least some aspects of the behaviour are measured.