Talpos et al., 2000
Contents
1. 1 8 2 1 Fogal Sampling Mber 4 2 1 Baxiwum af Observatines 00 05 00 OU e Select Tools e Select Test Configuration This is an automatic error trapping that the Observer does on your configuration It will let you know whether you have omitted defaults or whether you have forgotten to define certain elements Observer will not let you continue with coding behaviors until the configuration is complete and logical Click on File e Select Save Configuration e Enter a file name for the configuration file cnf You now have to associate the configuration with the project that you are creating This is a bit confusing because you have to first create and save the configuration file AND THEN create your Project Noldus has presumably programmed the Observer to work this way because this order of events allows you to use a standard configuration for a plus maze study for example with many different Projects This set of instructions following presumes that you want to use 1 configuration for 1 project Remember that in the future you have the option to share your configuration files Minimize the Configuration Designer in order to get back to the Observer Project Manager e Select File e Select New Project e Enter the file name that you used to save your configuration file Open Co2. Lug Cofi parati 4 4 4 1 KIVCHEDATAAVBHCAS PROGR ARS i FOLDON OVERVIEW OVERVIEW CHE ael rte tal pau f evel 1 PRCA PEDGRARETUNOLDUSAOVEFYTEVy BEND File TXT MHOL TXT MHOL TST MUL HUHDL Hasting Corti Level 1 Bid fuziti Behavioral EI e Open the export file in Excel and select Text Files from the File Types option The Import Wizard of Excel will then up Simply choose Delimited click Next and select Comma as delimiter BEH NDI MOO R 01930 Mae walking 01 15 30 Male walking 01930 Mala waking 01230 Mala walking U 19 30 0 19 20 Male 0 19 30 Stratchi 0 18 30 Mala itratchi D T2 30 Mala 01930 0 19 30 Mae Reang 0 19 30 Mala Roaring CO 1 30 Mala O13 30 Q 1930 Male Cimbi 0 19 30 Male Cimbig 0 19 30 Mala 0 18 30 Mala Shifting 01330 Mala 01930 Male ak Mic Sniffing n 14 44 Mate may i A A aA A A e Click Finish UNISTAT ANALYSIS Calculating means Micrzroft Excel Huh
3. ly 19 FT AL The Pre RI weed NT Munisrar 48 E Noldus Observer Video Pro Overview multiple subjects J Talpos A Heidema and RA McArthur Pharmacia amp Upjohn Neurobiology INTRODUCTION The Observer defines a Project as a set of files encompassing an experiment Each of these files is inter related which means that they have to be kept as a single unit Project The Observer therefore is made up of a series of MODULES of which the PROJECT MANAGER is the core of the package This module organizes and manages all the files of your Project Because all files of a Project are inter related this means that individual data files for example can not be worked upon as a single unit If you want to copy files from one computer to another or to archive your Project you must copy the entire project An Observer Project is made up of 4 Configuration file This is where you first describe the experiment within the Observer Project Manager You begin by describing the experiment in plain text in a word processor file This helps you and others to remember what and how you did the study Think of it as a supplementary lab notebook In the configuration step you also define the way you are going to collect the data what method you are using to time the observations what your independent variables or category factors are what behaviors you are going to measure and how
4. and Rat4 Each of these can be inserted as an option list by typing them in the Options window and then adding them This hardwires you to these subjects and you choose them from a pop up list when you start to code a If you don t know what animal ID is at the time you start coding and want to identify them at that time then you can choose the FREE FORMAT option that allows you to enter the ID at the time of coding For example Mickey 4 etc b You can even combine a specific list and free format if you start off with a specific group of animals when you set up the Project but when the time of the experiment arrived you had to add more animals Select both options and Free format 4 Numeric If you choose to define the independent variable as numeric you will then be required to enter the minimum and maximum values used Defining actors If you are using a multiple actor setup then you must define your actors There are two ways to go about doing this depending on the constraints of your experiment If you are examining group behavior in a lab setting and you can control which animals are present then you should give your animals general names that can be applied over and over again For example if you were examining the behavior of two rats in an open field and you were going to run a total of 25 trails you should not number your rats from one to fifty If you do this then the program will expect you to be observing 50 rats a
5. Stratchi 0 18 30 Mala itratchi D T2 30 Mala 01930 0 19 30 Mae Reang 0 19 30 Mala Roaring CO 1 30 Mala O13 30 Q 1930 Male Cimbi 0 19 30 Male Cimbig 0 19 30 Mala 0 18 30 Mala Shifting 01330 Mala 01930 Male ak Mic Sniffing n 14 44 Mate may i A A aA A A e Click Finish UNISTAT ANALYSIS 2 Calculating means Micrzroft Excel Huh 2 SUE ly 19 FT AL The Pre RI weed NT Munisrar 48 E 6 SOFTWARE SUPPORT Hopefully you will not encounter to many problems that cannot be answered by the above When you do encounter problems that are not addressed above which you will may I suggest that you get in touch with the following individuals Rolf Leurink Noldus Information Technology Wageningen The Netherlands Phone 31 317 497677 Fax 431 317 424496 E mail r leurink noldus nl Bart van Roekel Noldus Information Technology Inc 6 Pidgeon Hill Drive Suite 180 Sterling VA 20165 USA Phone 703 404 5506 or 1 800 355 9541 Fax 703 404 5507 E mail Bart noldus com You can also try sending questions to Info noldus com John Talpos 616 833 4721 john talpos pharmacia com Remember that there is a time difference when
6. Sampling Method There 4 types of methods by which you can sample or code behaviors Focal This allows you to measure both the frequency how often it happens and duration how long of behaviors that you have defined For example you may want to measure how often a rat goes to sleep in its cage AND you want to know how long the rat has slept over the entire observation period Focal sampling can be done with 1 or more subjects being observed simultaneously Ad libitum This allows you to record the frequency of behaviors for observations with single or multiple subjects Because only the frequency is being recorded this data collection method is ideal for pre study observations when you are starting to determine which behaviors are important for future observations Instantaneous This method is used is used when you want to have a snap shot of defined behavior s at regular intervals Suppose you want to look at a rat once every hour to see whether it is sleeping This is a yes no type of datum This method can be used for one or multiple actors One zero Similar to instantaneous sampling except that a regular interval is defined and you want to know whether a specific behavior s have occurred within that interval Number Of Actors This refers to how many subjects are being observed at the same time 3 4 Single Only one subject is being observed at a time For example 1 mouse in a plus maze However you can use
7. under some circumstances you may want to suspend coding a behavior The timing picks up again when coding restarts For example a rat may have a sleeping box into which it can disappear randomly You may want to suspend coding of other behaviors until the rat re appears Timing 1 Resolution Three options are available 1 0 0 1 and 01 second This determines if behavior will be coded in seconds tenths of seconds or hundredths of seconds The greater the resolution 0 01 second the more precise the measure 1 second is generally acceptable for our behavioral observations 2 Sample interval This is where you determine the sampling interval time when you are using instantaneous or one zero sampling Select Define e Select Independent Variables Independent Variable Name Independent variables are categorizing names also known as FACTORS such as gender strain ID treatment type etc Independent variables can have a subset of levels For example gender can be made up of 2 levels Male Female ID is made up of as many subjects you have such as Rati Rat3 Type in the name of an independent variable ID 5 Dalia Typa Chaersper Opens Numeric F Erre Format Table Number el Independent Variables 1 Gender Character Format IMa s Female Data Type The type of variable can be either NU
8. This will depend on whether you are coding behavior 1 live 2 off a videotape or 3 off a digitized video file on your hard drive or CD If you are working off a video file then you need to use the frame number as your time base If you are using a videotape then the internal time stamp on the tape provides the time base Finally if you are recording live then the computer s internal clock provides the time stamp If you are working with a video file you must indicate the frame number option otherwise you will be unable to call up the file 3 Event Timing Based On Select Frame Number on Video File 4 Elapsed Time at Start of Observation Select Always zero When the timing method has been selected for a media file a small monitor window will appear on the screen with a message media file selected Select the media file containing the subjects whose behaviors are to be coded In all likelihood this file will be on the CD ROM drive Selecting the media file will insert the file into the monitor window Adjust the size of the window for confortable viewing At this point control logging windows are to be placed on the screen and their position and size adjusted according to personal preferences Click on File Select Open Select Media File e Click on Customize Select Operation This option allows you to set whether you can change the independent variables at the beginning or end
9. be tricky It will often revert to files already used Because of this it is suggested that your file be selected at the beginning rather than at this stage If the program makes you reselect a media file the above information will be lost 4 Score existing video Click OK Enter the INDEPENDENT VARIABLES identifying the particular subject Select the variables that accurately describe your subject The variables will be the same as those you created in the project manager If needed you can also type in new variables Click OK Once you click ok a new dialog box will be displayed which asks you to position your media file The phrase position your media file means you should cue video track to the point where you want it to start observing There are two ways to do this If you know the time when your observation begins you can use the find time function The digitized video time frame can be found as the current time in the Timers Window Meter uec hen as cun tu mcs 0 Erd Hirah word unm If you do not know the video frame number then you will need to use the video controls to position your media files in a way similar to using your VCR 1 To use find time function e Select Edit then choose video time to position your me
10. behaviors in which a specific subject was acted on For example if you were studying dominance then you might want to see which animal was bitten the most often Events versus Nesting These two functions are very similar and can cause some confusion Nesting allows you to analyze behavior either at the level of the behavioral class ie movement in general or position in general or at the level of the individual behavioral elements ie walking stretching climbing rearing and sniffing For example If you were to nest the different elements of movement such as walking within position the Observer would calculate the frequency and duration of walking within the open arm walking within the closed arm and walking within the center It would also calculate the frequency and duration of stretching etc in these positions Using nesting level you are not adding or removing data you are just controlling how you are looking at it Events allow you actually to exclude data By selecting the actors behaviors or modifiers that you are interested in it would be possible to select just one very specific behavior for Statistical analysis By using the event function you can concentrate on specific behaviors for analysis even though more behaviors have been coded 4 Configuring how you want to generate your RESULTS table iii Report layout iv Report format Useful only for configurations with multiple actors and or modifiers 5 Generat
11. calling it is best to try and get your problems taken care of in the morning
12. first observation Changing observation speed You can also select the SPEED with which the video track will play at any point during the observation session This is a very useful feature if you are concerned that the video is going too fast and that you are missing behaviors Use the mouse to slide the speed arrow to the left or right to select your more confortable viewing speed pn D X C Mistakes and editing 1 Selecting a behavior that is already active Occasionally you will select a behavior that is already active The following error message will appear This state is already active PAUSE the video immediately and delete the second state Start the video in order to pick up coding from where you left off a aawo 2 Editing during or after an observation e Click on the Edit observational data button e Highlight the behavior you would like to change Press the appropriate code key for that behavior or delete if you would like to remove the code all together e When done making changes click on the edit mode key to start observations again If you discover that you have coded a behavior incorrectly during an observation it is possible to edit the behavior file You can do this either after you made your original observation or during It is best to edit the file during the observation however as you have to remember the exact time on the video file where you m
13. for analysis 1 Bnhs3J mdi This iz a thie 1n help me understand whats what e Click on Analysis Select Elementary statistics e Select Data e Select Observations The first step is to select the files that you want to analyze This is done by selecting elementary statistics followed by data and observations You can select individual data files or you can select them by using the SELECT INDEPENDENT VARIABLE option Once this is complete select nesting levels under the data icon e Select Nesting levels Selection of nesting levels allows more complex analysis of behavior By selecting nesting levels you can design a statistics output that will consider multiple dependent variables and their interactions at once When nesting levels are not specified the Observer would only consider how much time the animal spent in each location and how much time spent in each behavior When nesting levels are selected on the other hand the Observer will analyze how much time was spent in each behavior for each location Consider for example a plus maze experiment Specifying nesting levels allows an examination of how much time a mouse spent in the open arm and walking Without nesting levels selected you could only examine how much time the mouse spent walking or in the open arm This will give you a much more complete picture of the behavior being analyzed Remember you must also click on the add button for the nesting le
14. of an observation ie to set up and identify data files 4 Edit Independent Variables Before Operation Always 5 Edit Independent Variables After Operation Never 6 Prompt for Confirmation to End Observation On You may now save the way that you have customized your coding window Click on File e Select Save e Select Customization Save the customization file using the ROOT file name that you have been using to define the Project You may now start making your observations and coding behaviors This can be done immediately after the observation window has been customized or at your leisure If you choose to code behaviors at a later time Close the Project by closing the Event Recorder At a future date you may re open this Project in order to start coding 3 OBSERVING AND CODING BEHAVIOURS Open the OBSERVER VIDEO ANALYSIS Program by clicking on the Video Analysis icon Click on File e Select Open e Select Project Select the Project that you have configured The Video analysis program will then set up the screen that you have customized previously A Initializing Enter the name of the media file that you are about to code and set up the specifics of the subject s whose behaviors you are about to code Click on File e Select Open e Select Media file e Click the green GO button 5 Select a file name Each subject will have its own file name so it is best to name the file in a
15. those behaviors can be modified 5 Data files Once you have defined your experiment and you are now COMMITTED to this definition you are now ready to start observing the animal s and coding their behaviors Each animal has its own file once the behaviors coded The location of these files is managed through the Observer Project 6 Analysis files Having now coded the behaviors of all the animals in the experiment the Observer can do single animal or group statistics In general you will be calculating individual animal statistics records which will then be exported to Excel files and then use a stats package such as UNISTAT to calculate the group means and variance Again these files are included in and managed by the Observer Project Open the OBSERVER PROJECT MANAGER by clicking on the icon 2 DEFINING THE PROJECT e Click on Configuration e Select Design Configuration e Select File gt New Configuration The first window that appears is a mini word processor into which you can type in your own description of the experiment as in notes in your lab notebook Use this window to make all your annotations TTE THES 5 AN ASUREVIATED WORD PROCESBOB UBED TD ENTER DI Focal Siampling C fad Libitum Sampling nutentanedun Sampling ne Zern Sampling Sumber Actors 5 Single e Select Methods e Select Data Collection Method
16. MBER or a CHARACTER ID for example could be a numeric data type 1 2 3 4 It could also be a character type where you are combining alphabetic characters as well as a number Rat1 Rat2 Rat3 Rat02 15 2000 Determine how you want to enter this type of information 1 Character When you choose a character data type you can either enter the elements at the time that you are coding free format or you can set up a list options from which you can pick at the time you code For example under Independent variable ID you may have a list of subjects already identified They have been called and Rat4 Each of these can be inserted as an option list by typing them in the Options window and then adding them This hardwires you to these subjects and you choose them from a pop up list when you start to code a If you don t know what animal ID is at the time you start coding and want to identify them at that time then you can choose the FREE FORMAT option that allows you to enter the ID at the time of coding For example Mickey 4 etc b You can even combine a specific list and free format if you start off with a specific group of animals when you set up the Project but when the time of the experiment arrived you had to add more animals Select both options and Free format 2 Numeric If you choose to define the independent variable as numeric you will then be required to enter the minimum and maxi
17. Noldus Observer Video Pro Overview J Talpos A Heidema and RA McArthur Neurobiology Pharmacia amp Upjohn 301 Henrietta Street Kalamazoo MI 49001 USA Why should you use these manuals and which one is right for you Members of the CNS division of Pharmacia have created two simple manuals for the observer software system These manuals are not intended to replace those that come with the observer software they are intended to act as a supplement to those that are provided These manuals have been created out of experience Sometimes the hardest part about using a new program is figuring out the simple things like where to click This manual walks you through simple problems like these that you are sure to encounter Furthermore the observer is a very powerful tool filled with a number of setup options These options will greatly affect the output of your observations Because of this great pains have been made to describe the effects of certain options within the program that you will be likely to use You may notice that there are two different manuals contained here The first manual describes the process for coding single subject observations The second manual describes multiple subject observations It may seem apparent when you should use which manual However this is not really the case The main advantage of the multiple subject referred to as actors within the observer observation setup is that is allows you to examine specific
18. TRL W input code 2 Behavioral Class Name Define your behavioral class Movement When you type this in add it to the table and select it The BEHAVIOURAL ELEMENTS window will now light up Click on it and enter the name of the elements For example walking 5 Code Select the key or keys that will identify that behavioral element W 6 Definition Write a brief definition of that behavioral element example Animal moves its four paws in any direction 7 Type behavioral element can be either a STATE or a discrete EVENT Walking is state behavior because it occurs often frequency and continues over time duration An event behavior can occur with different frequency but does not have duration Falling for example is an event behavior The DEFAULT option identifies the normally starting behavior at the time of coding For example coding of the subjects could always start when they are stretching Each behavioral class must have an element that is the default element In a plus maze for example the default starting POSITION would be the rat in the Center of the maze and the default MOVEMENT would be stretching There is also an option entitled RECIPRICAL This option refers to behaviors that only occur with both subjects For example if you were studying mating pattern a behavior in which two individuals take part in at the same time then you may want to select RECIPRICAL When this is selected by coding one su
19. ade your mistake Stop the video and use the EDIT FIND function in order to go back to the mistake time Click on the edit icon This button has a piece of paper and a pencil for its icon In edit mode the video controls are still active so you can replay portions of the video file It is also possible to click on the behaviors and change them Behaviors can be changed either by highlighting them and then pressing a key that has been linked to a behavior or they can be deleted outright Once any behavioral changes have been made click on the edit key and the observation will continue The observation will continue to run while you are in edit mode so you may want to pause the observation before you start editing the file 3 Multiple observations of the same media file e Record the start time of the first observation e Select GO Click on the down selection arrow on the File name field and select the file to which you want to add new codes When coding complex behaviors it is often useful to watch the video file twice This allows you to concentrate on coding one behavior class at a time In order to do this record the time at which you started your first observation When you have finished your first observation start the process of coding again As usual select the green GO icon but rather than entering a new file name click on the down selection arrow of the File name field and select the file you want to add additional codes Fo
20. alysis icon A Customization Click on File e Select Open Select the Project that you have configured The Video analysis program will then load the basic video coding window This will include a window designated for the timer event log and the channels This view can be deselected if desired Click on View e Select Codes This will open a window in which you can view your codes for individual behaviors as well as being able to use your mouse cursor to select behaviors Click on Customize e Select Timing The first time you want to start coding behaviors using the Project that you have just configured you will have to customize the environment under which you will be doing the coding All Observer coding is based upon fime and it is fundamental that you establish and standardize your time base This will depend on whether you are coding behavior 1 live 2 off a videotape or 3 off a digitized video file on your hard drive or CD If you are working off a video file then you need to use the frame number as your time base If you are using a videotape then the internal time stamp on the tape provides the time base Finally if you are recording live then the computer s internal clock provides the time stamp If you are working with a video file you must indicate the frame number option otherwise you will be unable to call up the file 1 Event Timing Based On Select Frame Number on V
21. ata This is a way of standardizing the amount of time allowed to observe each animal You can however end the observation before that time by clicking on the end button THES IS UBED TD Melhod y C Ended hh mm 56 ies Anat Based om Time T Observed Timing m sepond Siampbe ntereal 5 ET imas When you are working on a maximum time observation you can also define whether your observations are based on elapsed or actual observed time 3 Elapsed Refers to the duration of the behavior throughout the observation period of a specific length 4 Observed under some circumstances you may want to suspend coding a behavior The timing picks up again when coding restarts For example a rat may have a sleeping box into which it can disappear randomly You may want to suspend coding of other behaviors until the rat re appears Timing 3 Resolution Three options are available 1 0 0 1 and 01 second This determines if behavior will be coded in seconds tenths of seconds or hundredths of seconds The greater the resolution 0 01 second the more precise the measure 1 second is generally acceptable for our behavioral observations 4 Sample interval This is wh
22. bject for the behaviors you will code both subjects for the behavior 8 Modifier This function adds greater specificity to a behavioral class For example if you where observing children at play then you can create modifiers which will describe their interactions more accurately For example you could have a code play and then a list of modifiers such as ball doll jump rope which indicate what they were playing with Each class of modifiers is associated with a specific behavior For example you could not use this list of play modifiers in conjunction with a set of codes for aggression Each modifier class is associated with only one behavior Modifiers can also be used to determine intensity of behavior For example you could have a behavior cry and then modifiers such as normal and loud Modifiers can also be used to determine to whom a behavior is targeted For example if you were coding aggressive behaviors is monkeys you might code monkey one as hitting and then have modifiers such as monkey 1 Monkey 2 and monkey3 This way you can record who the aggression 1s aimed at e Select Define e Select Modifiers e The process of defining modifiers is nearly identical as that for defining behaviors See those directions for information on how to define a modifier e Activating the modifier modifier must be linked to a specific behavior before it can be used In order to do this resel
23. dia file e Enter the desired start time Click on find Your media file will now be positioned at the time selected Click on Close e You can now click on OK in the media position dialog box 2 Touse the video controls to position your media file This method is more cumbersome then the find video time method described above The video control panel works much like a VCR You have functions such as play fast forward and rewind to use You can use these controls to find your ideal starting position e When you have found the start position click on the stop button e You can now click on OK in the media position dialog box B Coding When you click on OK another dialog box will appear This one will ask you to Initialize Channels Click on the behavioral codes that represents the defaults of the animal being observed In this example stretching and center have already been defined as default behaviors If you haven t defined default behaviors when defining the Project see above then you must do so here Behavioral codes have their own box If the animal is stretching then choose stretching and this behavior will be coded from the beginning of the observation You will need to select a starting behavior for all behavioral classes e Select your desired behavioral class e Click on your starting code In the code box Repeat for every behavioral class You are now ready to begin coding Select Start and begin coding you
24. e extra key strokes needed Because of this we recommend that you use multiple observations with a single actor setup unless you are trying to observer some sort of reciprical behavior That is to say behaviors in which one triggers another like an event cascade e Select Methods e Select Timing Method Duration At this point you define how long the observation period lasts 1 Open ended no maximum duration is set for the observation Clicking on the end button ends the observation 2 Maximum A set time for observing is defined When the computer timer reaches that time the file will close and save the data This is a way of standardizing the amount of time allowed to observe each animal You can however end the observation before that time by clicking on the end button THES IS UBED TD Melhod y C Ended hh mm 56 ies Anat Based om Time T Observed Timing m sepond Siampbe ntereal 5 ET imas When you are working on a maximum time observation you can also define whether your observations are based on elapsed or actual observed time 1 Elapsed Refers to the duration of the behavior throughout the observation period of a specific length 2 Observed
25. ect behavior under the define menu Highlight the behavioral class of interest and then click on behavioral elements You can now select your desired modifier As you may have noticed both actors and behaviors can also be selected to use as modifiers e Select Defaults e Select Environment You can code behaviors using a variety of computers from PC s MAC s or even hand held computers Select the computer you are using in your study e Select Defaults e Select Keyboard Definition Select whether you want to distinguish between upper and lower case e Select Tools e Select Review Configuration This will give you a listing of all your definitions that you have configured for your Project This can be printed and included in your lab notebook for future reference This an example of use of desecriprers 1 4uapnling oh inigi Fixed timiz of 5 mizartmm with ramilutkan of 0 1 sar Independent variables ace gender and female and ID ta Rat Beth af these itelepesient vacisbles are in Free that they 1 loakixq at 2 clesses of behavieurs Movement snd posicion alin Defma lt woes is stretching zi 1 The configuration OVERVIEW CNF zmaring Oki chistu Foaition Defeu lr posicion is centre open closed arm Thgte 1 event hreharinsur defined which Celli
26. efined as default behaviors If you haven t defined default behaviors when defining the Project see above then you must do so here Behavioral codes have their own box If the animal is stretching then choose stretching and this behavior will be coded from the beginning of the observation You will need to select a starting behavior for all behavioral classes e Select your desired behavioral class e Click on your starting code In the code box Repeat for every behavioral class You are now ready to begin coding Select Start and begin coding you first observation Changing observation speed You can also select the SPEED with which the video track will play at any point during the observation session This is a very useful feature if you are concerned that the video is going too fast and that you are missing behaviors Use the mouse to slide the speed arrow to the left or right to select your more confortable viewing speed pn D X C Mistakes and editing 3 Selecting a behavior that is already active Occasionally you will select a behavior that is already active The following error message will appear This state is already active PAUSE the video immediately and delete the second state Start the video in order to pick up coding from where you left off a aawo 4 Editing during or after an observation e Click on the Edit observational data button e Highlight
27. ents For example walking 1 Code Select the key or keys that will identify that behavioral element W 2 Definition Write a brief definition of that behavioral element example Animal moves its four paws in any direction 3 Type A behavioral element can be either a STATE or discrete EVENT Walking is state behavior because it occurs often frequency and continues over time duration An event behavior can occur with different frequency but does not have duration Falling for example is an event behavior The DEFAULT option identifies the normally starting behavior at the time of coding For example coding of the subjects could always start when they are stretching Each behavioral class must have an element that is the default element In a plus maze for example the default starting POSITION would be the rat in the Center of the maze and the default MOVEMENT would be stretching 4 Modifier This function adds greater specificity to a behavioral class For example if you where observing children at play then you can create modifiers which will describe their interactions more accurately For example you could have a code play and then a list of modifiers such as ball doll jump rope which indicate what they were playing with Each class of modifiers is associated with a specific behavior For example you could not use this list of play modifiers in conjunction with a set of codes for aggression Each modifier clas
28. ere you determine the sampling interval time when you are using instantaneous or one zero sampling Select Define e Select Independent Variables Independent Variable Name Independent variables are categorizing names also known as FACTORS such as gender strain ID treatment type etc Independent variables can have a subset of levels For example gender can be made up of 2 levels Male Female ID is made up of as many subjects you have such as Rati Rat3 Type in the name of an independent variable ID 5 Dalia Typa Chaersper Opens Numeric F Erre Format Table Number el Independent Variables 1 Gender Character Format IMa s Female Data Type The type of variable can be either a NUMBER or a CHARACTER ID for example could be a numeric data type 1 2 3 4 It could also be a character type where you are combining alphabetic characters as well as a number Rat1 Rat2 Rat3 Rat02 15 2000 Determine how you want to enter this type of information 3 Character When you choose a character data type you can either enter the elements at the time that you are coding free format or you can set up a list options from which you can pick at the time you code For example under Independent variable ID you may have a list of subjects already identified They have been called
29. ervation file After you have made changes save the new file under a different name In case you have done something wrong this will be critical in returning to the original state of the file Before re running the statistics analysis restart the Observer software When this is done follow the instructions for statistics analysis again but remember to exclude the file with incorrect data and to include the corrected file make corrections e Open Project Manager Select data then edit observational file Make any needed changes Saveasa new file Re start the observer Repeat the process for statistical analysis From the Elementary Statistics or Lag Sequential Analysis modules invoke the Statistics dialog box by selecting Statistics from the Analysis menu In this dialog box choose from the group box Calculate Statistics either Per Observation or Across Observations but not Both Elementary Statistics or Lag Sequential Analysis output files can easily be imported into an Excel spreadsheet Version 5 0 or higher To do so follow these steps within The Observer Open the Export Specifications dialog box by selecting Export Specifications from the Analysis menu In this dialog box select the following options C Free Format Fell Soepasatur Comma 2 Pecari separ Code Missing Value E Mancimum Lime Length File Mame Extension T Quotes Text Tiles
30. ew file Re start the observer Repeat the process for statistical analysis From the Elementary Statistics or Lag Sequential Analysis modules invoke the Statistics dialog box by selecting Statistics from the Analysis menu In this dialog box choose from the group box Calculate Statistics either Per Observation or Across Observations but not Both Elementary Statistics or Lag Sequential Analysis output files can easily be imported into an Excel spreadsheet Version 5 0 or higher To do so follow these steps within The Observer Open the Export Specifications dialog box by selecting Export Specifications from the Analysis menu In this dialog box select the following options C Free Format Fell Soepasatur Comma 2 Pecari separ Code Missing Value E Mancimum Lime Length File Mame Extension T Quotes Text Tiles ih Cancel e Run the analysis by selecting GO from the Analysis menu This yields an Analysis Report e Generate the export file by selecting Export from the File menu lECunE amp gurmtiun J Obserwario al Files File Aleit cime Total duran Zhe off 02 07 2000 00 04 14 04 0 0 Jh enar n3 ug 2no0 19320 76 1 hir af eacriprinn Indsgendest estlables oat n e
31. guration e Select Design Configuration e Select File gt New Configuration The first window that appears is a mini word processor into which you can type in your own description of the experiment as in notes in your lab notebook Use this window to make all your annotations lon c To tla THIS IS PROCESBOB USED TO Data Sampling Methad Sampling ENTER C fad Libitum Sampling nutentanedun Sampling ne Zern Sampling Sumber Actors 5 Single e Select Methods e Select Data Collection Method Sampling Method There 4 types of methods by which you can sample or code behaviors Focal This allows you to measure both the frequency how often it happens and duration how long of behaviors that you have defined For example you may want to measure how often a rat goes to sleep in its cage AND you want to know how long the rat has slept over the entire observation period Focal sampling can be done with 1 or more subjects being observed simultaneously Ad libitum This allows you to record the frequency of behaviors for observations with single or multiple subjects Because only the frequency is being recorded this data collection method is ideal for pre study observations when you are starting to determine which behaviors are important for future observations Instantaneous This method is used is used
32. ideo File 2 Elapsed Time at Start of Observation Select Always zero When the timing method has been selected for a media file a small monitor window will appear on the screen with a message media file selected Select the media file containing the subjects whose behaviors are to be coded In all likelihood this file will be on the CD ROM drive Selecting the media file will insert the file into the monitor window Adjust the size of the window for confortable viewing At this point control logging windows are to be placed on the screen and their position and size adjusted according to personal preferences Click on File Select Open Select Media File e Click on Customize Select Operation This option allows you to set whether you can change the independent variables at the beginning or end of an observation ie to set up and identify data files 1 Edit Independent Variables Before Operation Always 2 Edit Independent Variables After Operation Never 3 Prompt for Confirmation to End Observation On You may now save the way that you have customized your coding window Click on File e Select Save e Select Customization Save the customization file using the ROOT file name that you have been using to define the Project You may now start making your observations and coding behaviors This can be done immediately after the observation window has been customized or at your leisu
33. ih Cancel e Run the analysis by selecting GO from the Analysis menu This yields an Analysis Report e Generate the export file by selecting Export from the File menu lECunE amp gurmtiun J Obserwario al Files File Aleit cime Total duran Zhe off 02 07 2000 00 04 14 04 0 0 Jh enar n3 ug 2no0 19320 76 1 hir af eacriprinn Indsgendest estlables oat n e Lug Cofi parati 4 4 4 1 KIVCHEDATAAVBHCAS PROGR ARS i FOLDON OVERVIEW OVERVIEW CHE ael rte tal pau f evel 1 PRCA PEDGRARETUNOLDUSAOVEFYTEVy BEND File TXT MHOL TXT MHOL TST MUL HUHDL Hasting Corti Level 1 Bid fuziti Behavioral EI e Open the export file in Excel and select Text Files from the File Types option The Import Wizard of Excel will then up Simply choose Delimited click Next and select Comma as delimiter BEH NDI MOO R 01930 Mae walking 01 15 30 Male walking 01930 Mala waking 01230 Mala walking U 19 30 0 19 20 Male 0 19 30
34. ing individual statistics on each behavior e Click on Analysis e Select Statistics You can now select which statistics you wish to have included In general we are using this module of the Observer software in order to generate individual data for each subject Thus means are not averages of a group this will later be calculated by Unistat but rather the mean behavior of an individual subject Therefore you should calculate statistics per observation In general the statistics to be selected are Frequency and Mean duration Click on the green GO button to calculate the statistics for individual subjects imus Abbe 2 2 2 1 D Piwlm accentu mum Semen tima 7 sbaacr mm pre Cog Come Hom Eismeur DOCE NL LE Mie AMET SE PSPS Era ahaapuarbon 5 EXPORTING DATA TO EXCEL Before you try to export the file into an Excel file review your output and look for any calculations that do not seem right If you find an observation that contains data that is incorrect it will behoove you to correct at this point Discard the statistics you have just performed Return to the Project Manager and select data then edit observational file You can make changes to the obs
35. ins you can use the find time function The digitized video time frame can be found as the current time in the Timers Window Meter 2 Media file Postia k gt rs fg selena dst a ig aa EX Hirah word unm If you do not know the video frame number then you will need to use the video controls to position your media files in a way similar to using your VCR 3 To use find time function e Select Edit then choose video time to position your media file e Enter the desired start time Click on find Your media file will now be positioned at the time selected e Click on Close e You can now click on OK in the media position dialog box 4 To use the video controls to position your media file This method is more cumbersome then the find video time method described above The video control panel works much like a VCR You have functions such as play fast forward and rewind to use You can use these controls to find your ideal starting position e When you have found the start position click on the stop button e You can now click on OK in the media position dialog box B Coding When you click on OK another dialog box will appear This one will ask you to Initialize Channels Click on the behavioral codes that represents the defaults of the animal being observed In this example stretching and center have already been d
36. interactions between multiple subjects For example if you are examining aggression and you want to study the effects of barring teeth at another individual you will need a multiple subject design However if you wanted to study the relative rate at which teeth are shone when two animals are pair housed then it would likely be easier if you actually did a single actor observation twice once for each animal If you are not sure which way will work best for your experiment I suggest that you make two experiments in the observer and try both methods running only few observations By doing this you will get a greater feel for the advantages and the disadvantages inherent in both methods of observations Noldus Observer Video Pro Overview single actor J Talpos A Heidema and RA McArthur Pharmacia amp Upjohn Neurobiology INTRODUCTION The Observer defines a Project as a set of files encompassing an experiment Each of these files is inter related which means that they have to be kept as a single unit Project The Observer therefore is made up of a series of MODULES of which the PROJECT MANAGER is the core of the package This module organizes and manages all the files of your Project Because all files of a Project are inter related this means that individual data files for example can not be worked upon as a single unit If you want to copy files from one computer to another or to archive your Project you must copy the ent
37. ire project An Observer Project is made up of 1 Configuration file This is where you first describe the experiment within the Observer Project Manager You begin by describing the experiment in plain text in a word processor file This helps you and others to remember what and how you did the study Think of it as a supplementary lab notebook In the configuration step you also define the way you are going to collect the data what method you are using to time the observations what your independent variables or category factors are what behaviors you are going to measure and how those behaviors can be modified 2 Data files Once you have defined your experiment and you are now COMMITTED to this definition you are now ready to start observing the animal s and coding their behaviors Each animal has its own file once the behaviors coded The location of these files is managed through the Observer Project 3 Analysis files Having now coded the behaviors of all the animals in the experiment the Observer can do single animal or group statistics In general you will be calculating individual animal statistics records which will then be exported to Excel files and then use a stats package such as UNISTAT to calculate the group means and variance Again these files are included in and managed by the Observer Project Open the OBSERVER PROJECT MANAGER by clicking on the icon 1 DEFINING THE PROJECT e Click on Confi
38. k on the green GO button to calculate the statistics for individual subjects imus Abbe 2 2 2 1 D Piwlm accentu mum Semen tima 7 sbaacr mm pre Cog Come Hom Eismeur DOCE NL LE Mie AMET SE PSPS Era ahaapuarbon 5 EXPORTING DATA TO EXCEL Before you try to export the file into an Excel file review your output and look for any calculations that do not seem right If you find an observation that contains data that is incorrect it will behoove you to correct at this point Discard the statistics you have just performed Return to the Project Manager and select data then edit observational file You can make changes to the observation file After you have made changes save the new file under a different name In case you have done something wrong this will be critical in returning to the original state of the file Before re running the statistics analysis restart the Observer software When this is done follow the instructions for statistics analysis again but remember to exclude the file with incorrect data and to include the corrected file make corrections e Open Project Manager Select data then edit observational file Make any needed changes Saveasa n
39. ld and select the file to which you want to add new codes When coding complex behaviors it is often useful to watch the video file twice This allows you to concentrate on coding one behavior class at a time In order to do this record the time at which you started your first observation When you have finished your first observation start the process of coding again As usual select the green GO icon but rather than entering a new file name click on the down selection arrow of the File name field and select the file you want to add additional codes Follow the usual procedure for starting to code an observation When you are prompted to select a starting point for the observation use the edit function and select time then select find time Enter the same starting time you used in the first observation of the file This procedure insures that you are coding the same video segments in both observations 4 STATISTICS When you have finished your observations it is time to perform statistical analyses This is done in 2 stages The Observer software package is used to format the information in a manner that will allow it to be exported to a spread sheet program such as Excel to be analyzed by Unistat Open the OBSERVER PROGRAM MANAGER e Click on File e Select Open e Select Project Select the Project that you have configured The Project manager screen will then display all of the files related to your Project 2 Selecting data
40. llow the usual procedure for starting to code an observation When you are prompted to select a starting point for the observation use the edit function and select time then select find time Enter the same starting time you used in the first observation of the file This procedure insures that you are coding the same video segments in both observations 4 STATISTICS When you have finished your observations it is time to perform statistical analyses This is done in 2 stages The Observer software package is used to format the information in a manner that will allow it to be exported to a spread sheet program such as Excel to be analyzed by Unistat Open the OBSERVER PROGRAM MANAGER e Click on File e Select Open e Select Project Select the Project that you have configured The Project manager screen will then display all of the files related to your Project 1 Selecting data for analysis 1 Bnhs3J mdi This iz a thie 1n help me understand whats what e Click on Analysis Select Elementary statistics e Select Data e Select Observations The first step is to select the files that you want to analyze This is done by selecting elementary statistics followed by data and observations You can select individual data files or you can select them by using the SELECT INDEPENDENT VARIABLE option Once this is complete select nesting levels under the data icon e Select Nesting levels Selection of nesti
41. movement such as walking within position the Observer would calculate the frequency and duration of walking within the open arm walking within the closed arm and walking within the center It would also calculate the frequency and duration of stretching etc in these positions Using nesting level you are not adding or removing data you are just controlling how you are looking at it Events allow you actually to exclude data By selecting the actors behaviors or modifiers that you are interested in it would be possible to select just one very specific behavior for Statistical analysis By using the event function you can concentrate on specific behaviors for analysis even though more behaviors have been coded 2 Configuring how you want to generate your RESULTS table i Report layout Report format Useful only for configurations with multiple actors and or modifiers 3 Generating individual statistics on each behavior e Click on Analysis e Select Statistics You can now select which statistics you wish to have included In general we are using this module of the Observer software in order to generate individual data for each subject Thus means are not averages of a group this will later be calculated by Unistat but rather the mean behavior of an individual subject Therefore you should calculate statistics per observation In general the statistics to be selected are Frequency and Mean duration Clic
42. mum values used e Select Define e Select Behaviors The Observer defines behaviors in terms of a general CLASS that has a series of elements For example a behavioral class could be MOVEMENT Within the behavioral class Movement the following elements could be defined walking stretching rearing climbing and falling Another behavioral class could be POSITION Within Position center outer wall open arm etc would be defined as elements of this class Length of input Code Clase Name al Movement elements defaull state a HN 1 Denis Behavioral Element Name E Ginte C Even Heigraral MeiiBer 1 ome Table Hamer of Elements 5 7 m Resting Climbing c Sante Falling E Event Length of input code Coding in the Observer is done primarily by pressing a key on your computer key pad Thus you have to program specific keys or combination of keys to each behavior For example the occurrence of the behavior walking could be coded as W length of input code 1 or by pressing down more that 1 key such as CTRL W input code 2 Behavioral Class Name Define your behavioral class Movement When you type this in add it to the table and select it The BEHAVIOURAL ELEMENTS window will now light up Click on it and enter the name of the elem
43. nfiguration This will give you a listing of all your definitions that you have configured for your Project This can be printed and included in your lab notebook for future reference This an example of use of desecriprers 1 4uapnling oh inigi Fixed timiz of 5 mizartmm with ramilutkan of 0 1 sar Independent variables ace gender and female and ID ta Rat Beth af these itelepesient vacisbles are in Free that they 1 loakixq at 2 clesses of behavieurs Movement snd posicion alin Defma lt woes is stretching zi 1 The configuration OVERVIEW CNF zmaring Oki chistu Foaition Defeu lr posicion is centre open closed arm Thgte 1 event hreharinsur defined which Celli 1 8 2 1 Fogal Sampling Mber 4 2 1 Baxiwum af Observatines 00 05 00 OU e Select Tools e Select Test Configuration This is an automatic error trapping that the Observer does on your configuration It will let you know whether you have omitted defaults or whether you have forgotten to define certain elements Observer will not let you continue with coding behaviors until the configuration is complete and logical Click on File e Select Save Configuration e Ente
44. nfiguration Select the configuration file that you saved previously Having done this a window will immediately appear on the screen with the configuration file indicated This is the index of all files being managed by the Program Manager Later when coded data files are generated and analysis files as well these files will be indexed in this window CHE 8307 1 PT 12 Close the Program Manager and Configuration Designer 2 PREPARING THE CODING ENVIRONMENT FOR VIDEO ANALYSIS Open the OBSERVER VIDEO ANALYSIS NOT the OBSERVER EVENT RECORDER Program by clicking on the Video Analysis icon B Customization Click on File e Select Open Select the Project that you have configured The Video analysis program will then load the basic video coding window This will include a window designated for the timer event log and the channels This view can be deselected if desired Click on View e Select Codes This will open a window in which you can view your codes for individual behaviors as well as being able to use your mouse cursor to select behaviors Click on Customize e Select Timing The first time you want to start coding behaviors using the Project that you have just configured you will have to customize the environment under which you will be doing the coding All Observer coding is based upon fime and it is fundamental that you establish and standardize your time base
45. ng levels allows more complex analysis of behavior By selecting nesting levels you can design a statistics output that will consider multiple dependent variables and their interactions at once When nesting levels are not specified the Observer would only consider how much time the animal spent in each location and how much time spent in each behavior When nesting levels are selected on the other hand the Observer will analyze how much time was spent in each behavior for each location Consider for example a plus maze experiment Specifying nesting levels allows an examination of how much time a mouse spent in the open arm and walking Without nesting levels selected you could only examine how much time the mouse spent walking or in the open arm This will give you a much more complete picture of the behavior being analyzed Remember you must also click on the add button for the nesting levels to actually take effect F Lewela i Select Split When SPLIT is selected this means that each of the behavioral elements will be analyzed separately ie for Behavioral class Movement walking stretching rearing climbing and falls will be analyzed individually If SPLIT is deselected the Behavioral class elements will be added together as a single value Select the desired behaviors and click add ii you want more complex nesting levels then the Combinations function can be used This will allow you to l
46. ode for Last you can add a definition such as ratb is the control group for this study ratb corresponds to group When done click on add You will need to repeat this process for each subject or groups of subjects you wish to give a name Select Define e Select Behaviors The Observer defines behaviors in terms of a general CLASS that has a series of elements For example a behavioral class could be MOVEMENT Within the behavioral class Movement the following elements could be defined walking stretching rearing climbing and falling Another behavioral class could be POSITION Within Position center outer wall open arm etc would be defined as elements of this class Length of input Code Clase Name al Movement elements defaull state a HN 1 Denis Behavioral Element Name E Ginte C Even Heigraral MeiiBer 1 ome Table Hamer of Elements 5 7 m Resting Climbing c Sante Falling E Event Length of input code Coding in the Observer is done primarily by pressing a key on your computer key pad Thus you have to program specific keys or combination of keys to each behavior For example the occurrence of the behavior walking could be coded as W length of input code 1 or by pressing down more that 1 key such as C
47. ook at behaviors in a more detailed fashion This is primarily used when you have multiple subjects per observation e Select Events Subjects Actors Subjects When you are doing statistical analysis you may not want to include all behaviors and subjects in your analysis By using events you can select only those which are desired 1 il iil Choose the desired actors and behaviors By deselecting the split option all of the behaviors will be lumped together into one category This would be useful if you were examining aggressive behavior and you wanted to do statistical analysis on the frequency of aggressive behavior instead of the frequency of specific aggressive behaviors By selecting subjects as actors you can select the behavior of specific subjects for analysis iv By selecting Subjects as receivers you can select only those behaviors in which specific subject was acted on For example if you were studying dominance then you might want to see which animal was bitten the most often Events versus Nesting These two functions are very similar and can cause some confusion Nesting allows you to analyze behavior either at the level of the behavioral class ie movement in general or position in general or at the level of the individual behavioral elements ie walking stretching climbing rearing and sniffing For example If you were to nest the different elements of
48. r a file name for the configuration file cnf You now have to associate the configuration with the project that you are creating This is a bit confusing because you have to first create and save the configuration file AND THEN create your Project Noldus has presumably programmed the Observer to work this way because this order of events allows you to use a standard configuration for a plus maze study for example with many different Projects This set of instructions following presumes that you want to use 1 configuration for 1 project Remember that in the future you have the option to share your configuration files Minimize the Configuration Designer in order to get back to the Observer Project Manager e Select File e Select New Project e Enter the file name that you used to save your configuration file Open Configuration Select the configuration file that you saved previously Having done this a window will immediately appear on the screen with the configuration file indicated This is the index of all files being managed by the Program Manager Later when coded data files are generated and analysis files as well these files will be indexed in this window CHE 8307 1 PT 12 Close the Program Manager and Configuration Designer 2 PREPARING THE CODING ENVIRONMENT FOR VIDEO ANALYSIS Open the OBSERVER VIDEO ANALYSIS NOT the OBSERVER EVENT RECORDER Program by clicking on the Video An
49. re If you choose to code behaviors at a later time Close the Project by closing the Event Recorder At a future date you may re open this Project in order to start coding 3 OBSERVING AND CODING BEHAVIOURS Open the OBSERVER VIDEO ANALYSIS Program by clicking on the Video Analysis icon Click on File e Select Open e Select Project Select the Project that you have configured The Video analysis program will then set up the screen that you have customized previously A Initializing Enter the name of the media file that you are about to code and set up the specifics of the subject s whose behaviors you are about to code Click on File e Select Open e Select Media file e Click the green GO button 1 Select a file name Each subject will have its own file name so it is best to name the file in a way that will tell you which Project the subject belongs to and something that describes the animals place in the Project For example in a plus maze study a good file name would be 01 indicating that the subject was the first subject coded in a plus maze study 2 Title and volume name are parameters which identify the subject more clearly You can if you wish leave these fields blank 3 You can also select or change the media file you wish to observe at this stage If you have already selected a media file as described above this file name will also appear in this field The select media file option can
50. s is associated with only one behavior Modifiers can also be used to determine intensity of behavior For example you could have a behavior cry and then modifiers such as normal and loud Modifiers can also be used to determine to whom a behavior is targeted For example if you were coding aggressive behaviors is monkeys you might code monkey one as hitting and then have modifiers such as monkey 1 Monkey 2 and monkey3 This way you can record who the aggression 1s aimed at e Select Define e Select Modifiers e The process of defining modifiers is nearly identical as that for defining behaviors See those directions for information on how to define a modifier e Activating the modifier e A modifier must be linked to a specific behavior before it can be used In order to do this reselect behavior under the define menu Highlight the behavioral class of interest and then click on behavioral elements You can now select your desired modifier As you may have noticed both actors and behaviors can also be selected to use as modifiers e Select Defaults e Select Environment You can code behaviors using a variety of computers from PC s MAC s or even hand held computers Select the computer you are using in your study e Select Defaults e Select Keyboard Definition Select whether you want to distinguish between upper and lower case e Select Tools e Select Review Co
51. t one time Rather you should name your rats ratA and ratB and then use that designation for each trial You will of course need to be consistent in deciding which group will be A vs B for later statistical analysis You may find that you are in a situation in which you don t have this ability to control which subjects are being included This might be the case if you were doing a play group study or a study in a naturalistic setting If this is the case then it might make sense to have very specific subject names For example if you were watching ten children on a play ground you may wish to enter all of there names This still leaves you with the problem of what you should do when not all of the subjects are present In this case you should create a behavioral code under define behaviors to account for the situation This can be done by creating an event behavior title not present One this is done you can just enter the code not present for any subjects you have named but are not presently in the interaction This method is more complicated and time consuming but it may be the only option available in an uncontrolled observation Select Define Select subject Enter the subject name This is the name by which you want the subject to referred This could be ratA Billy or monkey 10 Next you will need to enter the subjects code In this context the code is the key you will hit during an observation to signal which animal you are about to c
52. the behavior you would like to change Press the appropriate code key for that behavior or delete if you would like to remove the code all together e When done making changes click on the edit mode key to start observations again If you discover that you have coded a behavior incorrectly during an observation it is possible to edit the behavior file You can do this either after you made your original observation or during It is best to edit the file during the observation however as you have to remember the exact time on the video file where you made your mistake Stop the video and use the EDIT FIND function in order to go back to the mistake time Click on the edit icon This button has a piece of paper and a pencil for its icon In edit mode the video controls are still active so you can replay portions of the video file It is also possible to click on the behaviors and change them Behaviors can be changed either by highlighting them and then pressing a key that has been linked to a behavior or they can be deleted outright Once any behavioral changes have been made click on the edit key and the observation will continue The observation will continue to run while you are in edit mode so you may want to pause the observation before you start editing the file 4 Multiple observations of the same media file e Record the start time of the first observation e Select GO Click on the down selection arrow on the File name fie
53. this same setting if you are going to observer a setting in which there are multiple animals but you are going to code only one at a time An example of this would be two animals in an open field were you were examining frequency of behaviors but not how the animals interacted with each other Multiple More than one subject is being observed For example 2 rats interacting with each other in a social interaction test You would primarily use this sort of setup when you are observing interactions between the animals For example if you were studying the rate at which the showing of teeth by animal A results in submission displays by animal B then you would use this sort of setup Multiple observations can also be used if you just want to code two or more animals at the same time however this becomes very difficult because of the extra key strokes needed Because of this we recommend that you use multiple observations with a single actor setup unless you are trying to observer some sort of reciprocal behavior That is to say behaviors in which one triggers another like an event cascade e Select Methods e Select Timing Method Duration At this point you define how long the observation period lasts 3 Open ended no maximum duration is set for the observation Clicking on the end button ends the observation 4 Maximum A set time for observing is defined When the computer timer reaches that time the file will close and save the d
54. vels to actually take effect F Lewela iv Select Split When SPLIT is selected this means that each of the behavioral elements will be analyzed separately ie for Behavioral class Movement walking stretching rearing climbing and falls will be analyzed individually If SPLIT is deselected the Behavioral class elements will be added together as a single value v Select the desired behaviors and click add Vi If you want more complex nesting levels then the Combinations function can be used This will allow you to look at behaviors in a more detailed fashion This is primarily used when you have multiple subjects per observation e Select Events Subjects Actors Subjects When you are doing statistical analysis you may not want to include all behaviors and subjects in your analysis By using events you can select only those which are desired V Vi Choose the desired actors and behaviors By deselecting the split option all of the behaviors will be lumped together into one category This would be useful if you were examining aggressive behavior and you wanted to do statistical analysis on the frequency of aggressive behavior instead of the frequency of specific aggressive behaviors By selecting subjects as actors you can select the behavior of specific subjects for analysis By selecting Subjects as receivers you can select only those
55. way that will tell you which Project the subject belongs to and something that describes the animals place in the Project For example in a plus maze study a good file name would be 01 indicating that the subject was the first subject coded in a plus maze study 6 Title and volume name are parameters which identify the subject more clearly You can if you wish leave these fields blank 7 You can also select or change the media file you wish to observe at this stage If you have already selected a media file as described above this file name will also appear in this field The select media file option can be tricky It will often revert to files already used Because of this it is suggested that your file be selected at the beginning rather than at this stage If the program makes you reselect a media file the above information will be lost 8 Score existing video Click OK Enter the INDEPENDENT VARIABLES identifying the particular subject Select the variables that accurately describe your subject The variables will be the same as those you created in the project manager If needed you can also type in new variables Click OK Once you click ok a new dialog box will be displayed which asks you to position your media file The phrase position your media file means you should cue video track to the point where you want it to start observing There are two ways to do this If you know the time when your observation beg
56. when you want to have a snap shot of defined behavior s at regular intervals Suppose you want to look at a rat once every hour to see whether it is sleeping This is a yes no type of datum This method can be used for one or multiple actors One zero Similar to instantaneous sampling except that a regular interval is defined and you want to know whether a specific behavior s have occurred within that interval Number Of Actors This refers to how many subjects are being observed at the same time 2 Single Only one subject is being observed at a time For example 1 mouse in a plus maze However you can use this same setting if you are going to observer a setting in which there are multple animals but you are going to code only one at a time An example of this would be two animals in an open field were you were examining frequency of behaviors but not how the animals interacted with each other Multiple More than one subject is being observed For example 2 rats interacting with each other in a social interaction test You would primaly use this sort of setup when you are concidering interactions between the animals For example if you were studying the rate at which the showing of teeth by animal A results in submission displays by animal B then you would use this sort of setup Multiple observations can also be used if you just want to code two or more animals at the same time however this becomes very difficult because of th
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