Knowledge Base

Stop the Observation

Procedure

An observation ends when the maximum recording time has elapsed, the video ends, or you manually end the observation.

To stop the observation manually:

1. Click the Stop Observation button in the Playback Control window.
2. Depending on your project settings, the Independent Variables window may appear. If so, enter the values. See Value Update and Edit Independent Variables in Set Up Your Project.

A confirmation window appears when you stop the observation, unless you have deselected this option in the Observation settings. The event log ends at the time point that you clicked the Stop Observation button. If you co-acquire external data, it extends beyond the end of the event log and is therefore grayed out.

What's Next

• To play back the data, use the Play button in the Playback Control window (not the Start Observation button).
• To visualize data without the Event Log and Codes window, choose Analyze > Visualize Data, or click the Visualize button on the toolbar.
• To analyze data, select data for analysis, then choose an option from the Analyze menu. See Calculate Statistics.
• When closing an observation, the program checks if the event log contains errors, for example a start code without a matching stop code. Event logs with errors are not analyzed nor visualized. See Check the Event Log for Errors.

Notes on Stop Time

• An event scored at the exact moment the observation stops is not included in the analysis.
• If the maximum time is reached while you are in the middle of scoring elements in an event line, that line is saved but is not complete. You can either delete or edit the incomplete line. See Correct Event Log Errors Manually.

Score Data: Detailed Procedure

Continuous Sampling

Aim

To code your observation with continuous sampling.

Prerequisites

• You created and started an observation.
• You chose Continuous Sampling as the observation method.

Procedure

The procedure below is general and may not apply to your own coding scheme. If you did not define subjects or modifiers, ignore the instructions referring to them. You can also change the usual order of scoring, for example to score the behavior before the subject.

1. The first cell in the Subject column is selected. The Codes window shows all subjects. When a subject performs a behavior you are interested in, score the subject. The row is time-stamped and the time appears under Time.
2. The Behavior cell in the event line is now selected. The Codes window shows all possible behaviors for this subject. Score the behavior. The name of the behavior appears in the row in the Event Log and the event is visualized in the Data and Audio Visualization window. The event runs until the end of the video and the duration will be corrected as soon as you code the next event.
3. If the behavior was linked to one or more modifiers, the Modifier cell in the event line is now selected. The Codes window shows all modifiers that can be attached to the scored behavior. Score the modifiers. The name of the modifier appears in the row in the Event Log. For numerical modifiers with a predefined range, first score the numerical modifier group and then type the value.
4. Score the other modifiers linked to that behavior. If scoring modifiers is compulsory, the name of the modifier group containing required modifiers is displayed in the event log before you actually score it, helping you to see which modifiers from which modifier group are required.

Scoring Events

Completing Required Modifiers and Comments

You can score required modifiers in any order you want, but they will appear in the event log in the same order as in the coding scheme.

1. If the behavior has modifier groups, the Modifier column indicates in gray the required modifier groups. Score each required modifier. The modifier appears in the event log after scoring.
2. If you have selected Add Comment in the Properties pane of the subject or the behavior you have just scored, you must add a comment. The Comment cell in the event line will be activated with the word Comment in gray. Enter the comment and press Enter. You can also copy and paste comments. If the Comment column is not present in your event log, right-click a column header and select Comment. If you do not want to add any comment, just press Enter.
3. The event is now complete.
4. The Subject cell in the next row is selected and the Codes window shows the subjects again. Add new events by repeating the steps above.
5. To stop a behavior or modifier, first score the subject, then:
   • Start-stop behavior – Score the stop of the behavior or modifier. You cannot do this before the subject was scored.
   • Mutually exclusive behavior – Score another element in the same group and its modifier. Score the stop of the behavior if no other behavior is active.
   • Mutually exclusive modifier – Score a behavior and then another modifier.

Notes on Scoring Events

• The time is assigned to an event when the first element of the coding scheme is entered, no matter whether it is a subject or a behavior. If you enter only free text, the time is assigned when you enter the first character under Comment.
• If scoring modifiers is not compulsory, you can skip them by placing the cursor in the Comment column or pressing Enter.
• If you do not want the Comment cell to be selected every time you score an event, make sure that for all behaviors and subjects the Add Comment option is not selected. See Define Subject Properties and Define Behavior (Group) Properties in Set Up Your Project.
• Press the Undo button on the toolbar to correct a mistake. To make a correction undone, press the Redo button. For information on how to correct scoring errors after you finished the observation, see Correct Event Log Errors Manually.