A Handheld Behavioral Observation System Based on Palm OS 3.X

Emory University
posted on 08/07/2010

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Applications

This software can be used to record and collect behavioral data and latencies using a personal digital assistant (PDA) running Palm OS 3.0 or higher.

Highlights

• Less expensive compared to current behavioral observation software.
• Can easily be configured and tailored to different projects.
• Compatible with both PC and Mac; data can be converted to multiple formats for analysis.

Technical Summary

The collection of behavioral observations can be both time consuming and tedious. Currently, software packages to aid in data collection are available but are often expensive and require additional hardware and software to be portable. This software offers a less expensive and more portable alternative to those packages that can be easily tailored to fit different projects and observational environments.

The HandObs system consists of software which is used, along with a personal digital assistant (PDAs) running Palm OS 3.0 or higher, to collect event-sequential behavioral data. This system allows the user to configure alpha-numeric codes corresponding to certain behaviors, and then when the code is keyed the program records both the observation as well as a time-tag. The HandObs system additionally provides fields for the user to enter and record research descriptions as well as other pertinent data-set information. Data can be transferred from the PDA to a Windows, Macintosh, or Unix compatible system for processing using the data transfer portion of the software and then converted to multiple data formats for additional analysis.

Developmental Stage & Potential Market

• This software has been used for research purposes by Dr. Wallen and others.
• The potential market for this software includes researchers, both academic and industrial, involving behavioral observations on animals or humans.