Anthony D. Pellegrini is a Professor of Psychological Foundations of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota – Minneapolis. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. His research focuses on direct observations of aggression, play, dominance, in children and the social bases of cognitive processes. A Fellow of APA’s Educational and Developmental Psychology divisions, he is also a Traveling Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has published numerous papers in journals and books in psychology, education, anthropology, and animal behavior.

“Dr. Pellegrini is THE expert in observational methods in our field and as such he has a wealth of examples to illustrate best practices for the scientific use of systematic observations. …The book serves as THE manual for observational researchers and students. ... Dr. Pellegrini is very effective at communicating complex methodological and scientific concepts in clear and accessible language. …Appropriate for an undergraduate or beginning graduate ... research methods course or [one] on observational methods. ... My colleagues in education and early childhood are fans of the book as well. …This book should be required reading for any observational methods scholar.” – Jamie M. Ostrov, University of Buffalo, SUNY, USA"This book is unique in its focus on observational methodology in studying children. ...The writing was clear and accessible ... and appropriate for … readers from advanced undergraduates to beginning graduate students. ... A focus on observational methodology would be a welcome addition within [our] research methodology sequence, and this book would be my top choice of readings." - Noel A Card, University of Arizona, USA“Intended as a manual for students who are actually going to conduct research … The course ... it would suit would be at Honours or postgraduate level in Psychology ... (advanced research methods). … I would consider including it as recommended reading. I would happily recommend it to ... colleagues in clinical psychology who are supervising research projects without having much background in how to teach research methods.” – Helen Davis, Murdoch University, Australia

• About the Author. Preface. 1.The "Whys" and "Whens" of Using Observational Methods. 2. Science, Psychology, and Research. 3. Ethics in Research. 4. Choosing a Perspective: Qualitative-Insider and Quantitative-Outsider Distinctions. 5. Asking the Research Question: Implications for Design and Specification in Observational Research. 6. Initial Considerations: Entering the Field, Looking Around, and Refining the Plan. 7. Coming up With Categories. 8. Measuring Behavior and Rules for Sampling and Recording. 9. Reliability. 10. Validity. 11.  Indirect Observational Methods. 12. Computer-Assisted Recording and Observational Software Programs, J. Hoch and F. Symons. 13. The Research Report. Glossary. References.

Anthony D. Pellegrini is a Professor of Psychological Foundations of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota – Minneapolis. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. His research focuses on direct observations of aggression, play, dominance, in children and the social bases of cognitive processes. A Fellow of APA’s Educational and Developmental Psychology divisions, he is also a Traveling Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has published numerous papers in journals and books in psychology, education, anthropology, and animal behavior.

“Dr. Pellegrini is THE expert in observational methods in our field and as such he has a wealth of examples to illustrate best practices for the scientific use of systematic observations. …The book serves as THE manual for observational researchers and students. ... Dr. Pellegrini is very effective at communicating complex methodological and scientific concepts in clear and accessible language. …Appropriate for an undergraduate or beginning graduate ... research methods course or [one] on observational methods. ... My colleagues in education and early childhood are fans of the book as well. …This book should be required reading for any observational methods scholar.” – Jamie M. Ostrov, University of Buffalo, SUNY, USA"This book is unique in its focus on observational methodology in studying children. ...The writing was clear and accessible ... and appropriate for … readers from advanced undergraduates to beginning graduate students. ... A focus on observational methodology would be a welcome addition within [our] research methodology sequence, and this book would be my top choice of readings." - Noel A Card, University of Arizona, USA“Intended as a manual for students who are actually going to conduct research … The course ... it would suit would be at Honours or postgraduate level in Psychology ... (advanced research methods). … I would consider including it as recommended reading. I would happily recommend it to ... colleagues in clinical psychology who are supervising research projects without having much background in how to teach research methods.” – Helen Davis, Murdoch University, Australia

• About the Author. Preface. 1.The "Whys" and "Whens" of Using Observational Methods. 2. Science, Psychology, and Research. 3. Ethics in Research. 4. Choosing a Perspective: Qualitative-Insider and Quantitative-Outsider Distinctions. 5. Asking the Research Question: Implications for Design and Specification in Observational Research. 6. Initial Considerations: Entering the Field, Looking Around, and Refining the Plan. 7. Coming up With Categories. 8. Measuring Behavior and Rules for Sampling and Recording. 9. Reliability. 10. Validity. 11.  Indirect Observational Methods. 12. Computer-Assisted Recording and Observational Software Programs, J. Hoch and F. Symons. 13. The Research Report. Glossary. References.