Measuring Behaviour

Professor Melissa Bateson studied at the University of Oxford, graduating with an MA in zoology with biological anthropology and a DPhil in animal behaviour. She held a Wellcome Trust fellowship in the Department of Zoology at Oxford and the Department of Psychology at Duke University, USA, followed by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in the Department of Psychology at Newcastle University, UK. She is currently Professor of Ethology at Newcastle where she teaches behaviour at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and runs an active research programme. Melissa is the daughter of the late Patrick Bateson and replaces him as co-author on this fourth edition. Dr Paul Martin studied biology at the University of Cambridge, graduating in natural sciences and with a PhD in behavioural biology, and was a Harkness Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He subsequently lectured and researched in behavioural biology at the University of Cambridge and was a Fellow of Wolfson College. He co-authored the first three editions of Measuring Behaviour with Patrick Bateson, and is the author or co-author of several other books including Design for a Life (2000), Counting Sheep (2002) and Play, Playfulness, Creativity and Innovation (2013).

'A brilliant new edition of this classic guide to studying both animal and human behaviour, it is also a wonderful introduction to the scientific method: asking questions; formulating testable hypotheses; designing a research programme; research ethics; the recording, statistical analysis and interpretation of data; sample sizes, replication and reliability; and how best to communicate the findings to both a scientific and a public audience. Inspiring reading for field and laboratory researchers in ethology, psychology, anthropology, social sciences and public health, and for policy makers, too, and especially timely now, with an analysis of how social networks influence group dynamics and the spread of ideas and diseases.' Nick Davies, Professor of Behavioural Ecology, University of Cambridge, UK

• Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Science and Truth; 3. Choosing a Research Question; 4. Designing a Behavioural Study; 5. Ethics and the Law; 6. Defining Behavioural Metrics; 7. Recording Methods; 8. Recording Technology; 9. Individuals and Groups; 10. Measurement Quality; 11. Data Analysis; 12. Interpreting and Communicating Findings; References; Index.