Naturalistic Observation

Naturalistic observation is a nonexperimental, primarily qualitative research method in which organisms are studied in their natural settings. Behaviors or other phenomena of interest are observed and recorded by the researcher, whose presence might be either known or unknown to the subjects. This approach falls within the broader category of field study, or research conducted outside the laboratory or institution of learning. No manipulation of the environment is involved in naturalistic observation, as the activities of interest are those manifested in everyday situations. This method is frequently employed during the initial stage of a research project, both for its wealth of descriptive value and as a foundation for hypotheses that might later be tested experimentally.

Zoologists, naturalists, and ethologists have long relied on naturalistic observation for a comprehensive picture of the variables coexisting with specific animal behaviors. Charles Darwin's 5-year voyage aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, which is an expedition that culminated in his theory of evolution and the publication of his book On the Origin of Species in 1859, is a paradigm of research based on this method. Studies of interactions within the social structures of primates by both Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall relied on observation in the subjects’ native habitats. Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, and Karl von Frisch advanced the [Page 886]understanding of communication among animal species through naturalistic observation, introducing such terminology as imprinting, fixed action pattern, sign stimulus, and releaser to the scientific lexicon. All the investigations mentioned here were notable for their strong ecological validity, as they were conducted within a context reflective of the normal life experiences of the subjects. It is highly doubtful that the same richness of content could have been obtained in an artificial environment devoid of concurrent factors that would have normally accompanied the observed behaviors.

The instances in which naturalistic observation also yields valuable insight to psychologists, social scientists, anthropologists, ethnographers, and behavioral scientists in the study of human behavior are many. For example, social deficits symptomatic of certain psychological or developmental disorders (such as autism, childhood aggression, or anxiety) might be evidenced more clearly in a typical context than under simulated conditions. The dynamics within a marital or family relationship likewise tend to be most perceptible when the participants interact as they would under everyday circumstances. In the study of broader cultural phenomena, a researcher might collect data by living among the population of interest and witnessing activities that could only be observed in a real-life situation after earning their trust and their acceptance as an “insider.”

This entry begins with the historic origins of naturalistic observation. Next, the four types of naturalistic observation are described and naturalistic observation and experimental methods are compared. Last, this entry briefly discusses the future direction of naturalistic observation.