Naturalistic observation: characteristics of this research tool

Let's see what naturalistic observation is, and how it is used in behavioral science.

There are many ways of collecting data on a given individual, but none so simple and effective as naturalistic observation.

We are going to discover the advantages of using this method, how to do it correctly and the differences with other forms of observation, in order to know this methodology in depth and to be able to use it without difficulties.

What is naturalistic observation?

Naturalistic observation is a method used in research, the basis of which is to carry out the observation of a subject or subjects. the observation of a subject or subjects, be they people or animals, doing it directly in the place where it lives, without the investigator disturbing it in the least.The aim is to avoid any kind of interference that would imply a different behavior than if there were no observer there.

For this reason, discretion is essential in naturalistic observation. We must avoid contaminating the scenario and interactions, even with our mere presence. Therefore, the perfect example of naturalistic observation is one in which the individual does not realize that he is being observed, so we do not give rise to the possibility that his behavior is altered by the irruption of a stranger in his usual environment.

The advantages of using this methodology are obvious: we obtain real results, without any type of alteration. The behavior of the individual that we record is what, in fact, should happen in its habitat, under those conditions. On the contrary, if this observation were carried out in an artificial environment, such as a laboratory, we would have to control a multitude of variables and we would never be certain that the observation corresponds to natural behavior.

Moreover, naturalistic observation is the only way, or at least the only way that ethics allows us, to be able to analyze certain events that, by their nature, do not correspond to natural behavior.s that, by their nature, it would not make sense to construct artificially, such as those related to a crime. In this line, the recordings of video surveillance cameras and eyewitness testimonies provide information to make an observation, in this case a posteriori, with which to draw conclusions and even anticipate a series of behaviors.

Different uses

Talking about the uses of naturalistic observation is, in reality, something almost unmanageable. The fact is that this technique is so useful and so easy to carry out that many disciplines, of different kindsof different kinds.

Of course, one of the disciplines that most benefit from it is none other than psychology, and the science of human behavior needs to be nourished by the most neutral and reliable information possible, so naturalistic observation is an ideal method to achieve this purpose.

Along these lines, ethology, the science of animal behavior, may be an even clearer example of this.. Whether it is to study the behaviors of certain species, in order to know them better, or because of their evolutionary proximity to humans, such as different species of primates (chimpanzees, bonobos or orangutans), since the behaviors recorded would help us to know ourselves better, naturalistic observation is an invaluable tool.

The clearest example would be the work carried out by the primatologist Jane Goodall over the course of a lifetime. Thanks to her studies in the field, using almost exclusively the method of naturalistic observation, Goodall has observed a society of chimpanzees for no less than 55 years. Goodall observed a society of chimpanzees for 55 years, gathering a wealth of data on their social structure, interactions, emotions and other types of behavior that we would never have been able to learn otherwise.

Naturalistic observation is also very valuable for other sciences, such as criminology, and we already mentioned in the previous point that there is an ethical code that prevents researchers from recreating antisocial behavior in an artificial environment, so being able to observe them when they occur in a real scenario, in order to collect all the data that will help us to generate new methods to avoid them in the future, is extremely useful.

Differences with analogical observation

In opposition to naturalistic observation, we would find analogical observation, a methodology based on recreating a real situation in a laboratory environment.a methodology based on recreating a real situation in a laboratory environment, so that instead of the subject's natural habitat, we would find ourselves in an artificial environment. We have already intuited throughout the article that these observations in simulated scenarios have certain disadvantages, since it is possible that the individual will never behave as he would in his natural environment.

But the truth is that it is not always possible to study the behaviors we are interested in in the environment in which they naturally occur.Therefore, researchers are often forced to use analog observation, since the alternative would be to fail to collect any information at all. In this case, obviously, the logical decision is to use this methodology, being aware of its limitations and taking them into account when analyzing the results.

In any case, if there is no choice but to use analogous observations, the important thing is to do so under the most neutral conditions possible, trying to leave as few variables as possible uncontrolledto achieve results as similar as possible to those we would find if we had carried out our research in the real habitat of the individuals.

Observer bias

Although we have already seen that naturalistic observation is much more valuable than analogous observation, the truth is that in any type of observation we may encounter a difficulty that, as researchers, we should be aware of in order to mitigate it as much as possible. It is none other than the observer's expectation bias, which can contaminate the data we record during the session..

This bias refers to the influence that the previous expectations that the researcher may have regarding the results of the study can have, so that it can lead to erroneous interpretations of the data collected, somehow guiding the conclusions towards the preconceived idea that was held, which would profoundly weaken the internal validity of the entire investigation.

On the positive side, it is a perfectly well known and studied phenomenon, and has a relatively simple solution, which consists of the use of a double-blindThis is a type of experimental design in which neither the subjects who take part in the study nor the researchers who carry it out know whether each individual is part of the experimental or control group. In this way, naturalistic observation would be more reliable, eliminating that possible bias.

Electronically activated recorder

Finally, let's learn more about a technique that has been used in recent years to perform some types of naturalistic observation. This is the use of the electronically activated recorder (EAR).or EAR (Electronically Activated Recorder). This device is designed for observations made on a fairly large population sample and over a relatively long period of time, which represents an important advance in the use of this popular methodology.

Since, under these conditions, the amount of data collected would be so enormous that we would have serious difficulties to analyze it correctly, what is done is to use this small recorder, which the person wears attached to his belt or somewhere else on his body, and turns on automatically during certain periods of time, to record the sounds of different time slots. In this way we achieve a sample of recordings from many different times and from a multitude of people.

Thanks to the EAR, the doors have been opened to carry out the naturalistic observation method in very large populations.. This is a great advance, since, with the technical and human resources of the usual studies, the classic approach was to use a small sample, and from there the results would have to be extrapolated to the general population. On the other hand, we now have the option of carrying out large-scale studies at affordable costs, which opens the door to much more ambitious research.

This is another example of how the development of technologies allows us to continue advancing along the path of knowledge, enriching science with new methodologies or classic methodologies that evolve and adapt to new times, as in the case of naturalistic observation with an electronically activated recorder. We must remain alert to new developments and thus have at our disposal the most cutting-edge tools to develop new and enriching research.

Bibliographical references:

• Angrosino, M.V. (2016). Naturalistic observation. Routledge.
• Christensen, A., Hazzard, A. (1983). Reactive effects during naturalistic observation of families. Behavioral Assessment.
• D'Ocon, A., Cerezo, A. (1995). Naturalistic observation of family interaction. Reliability of event sequences. Journal of methodology and experimental psychology.
• Mehl, M.R., Robbins, M.L.. (2012). Naturalistic observation sampling: The Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR). The Guilford Press.
• Miller, D.B. (1977). Roles of naturalistic observation in comparative psychology. American Psychologist.