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Behavioral coding & analysis
A very important part of studying human behavior is performing observations. What better way to tell how someone behaves than to observe that person? The behaviors of an individual or group of individuals within a particular social context of interest, such as the classroom, the playground, the peer group, the home, the clinic, or the workplace can be recorded and coded. Each code is used to mark the occurrence of a specific behavior or set of behaviors.
Easily design a coding scheme
Designing a behavioral coding scheme is a crucial step in behavioral research. The coding scheme is the actual measuring instrument. Choices made at this stage determine what you can do with your data at later stages.
- Describe complex phenomena in a few keystrokes. The coding scheme has a powerful syntax.
- Record social interactions, group processes, and other complex behaviors with a minimum of different codes, minimizing learning efforts and errors.
- Add or change codes while observing.
Free white paper
7 tips to set up a coding scheme
Setting up a coding scheme is not as straightforward as it may seem. It often requires quite some thinking to define the perfect scheme for behavioral coding.
In this free white paper, we will explain the basics of behavioral coding and how to set up a coding scheme. Moreover, we present several examples of studies that used a scheme for behavioral coding as a tool.
Behavioral coding software
The Observer® XT is the professional human behavior research software. It supports the entire workflow of your project: synchronize, visualize, and analyze your observational data.
Easily code behavior, start and stop recordings from The Observer XT, and automatically import video, audio, eye tracking, physiology, and emotions. You can benefit from our experience with different hardware set-ups ranging from video recording to interfacing with data acquisition systems, or synchronized starting of other programs or systems.
The Observer XT has helped me capture children's natural behavior in an unobtrusive manner and this has added value to the behavioral interpretations I could draw. This tool is best suited for observational research where subjects can be observed without their awareness, which adds to the authenticity of findings. It is easy to use and gives data that can well be statistically analyzed.
Dr. Mayuri|ACHARYA NG RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, INDIA
A practical example in video
Marie Bocquillon of the University of Mons in Belgium uses Noldus' behavioral analysis software for her research about improving teacher practices. The Observer XT and MediaRecorder allow her to record the sessions and score the behaviors of her future teachers at the same time.
Watch the movie to find out why Marie thinks that future teachers should look critically at their own performances.
The Observer XT is used in over 13,500 publications. Get your free trial to try it out!
Video analysis tool
The analysis of data often begins with visualizing data streams. In The Observer XT all data streams are displayed alongside and play in perfect sync. Visualization creates a direct reference between video, audio, and other data: a great tool for quality improvement.
With drag and drop, you can easily build filters based on combinations of independent variables, behaviors, physiological data, and time criteria, such as behaviors being active, or select subjects by independent variable. You can also perform a lag sequential analysis to analyze the order of events.
Discover all the possibilities by trying it out for yourself!
Interesting publications
A diverse collection of scientific articles citing Noldus products are published in renowned journals. The following list is only a small selection of scientific publications. Please contact us if you need more reference material.
- Cents-Boonstra, M. et al. (2021). Patterns of motivating teaching behaviour and student engagement: a microanalytic approach. EJPE. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-021-00543-3
- Edney, J., et al. (2021). Understanding Diver Behavior on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Enriching the Observation Record Using Video Methods. Sustainability, 13, 5601. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105601.
- Schinkel, M.G.; Chambers, C.T.; Corkum, P. & Jacques S. (2018). Dyadic analysis of siblings’ relationship quality, behavioural responses, and pain experiences during experimental pain. Pain, 159 (8), 1569-1579.
Relevant blogs
Reducing eating pace: a behavioral intervention for childhood obesity
Studies on eating behavior play an important role in preventing childhood obesity. Faith and his team examined the effectiveness of a family-based behavioral intervention to reduce eating pace.
The New Jersey Families Study: unlocking the black box
Families are children's first teachers and home is their first school. Often we wonder or guess how such teaching is going. The NJFS, performed by the University of Princeton, offers insights.