Why We Do It The Hard Way: Observational Studies Tell A Different Story From Questionnaires

When analysing humans, issues of bias are a major concern affecting the validity of research. Objectivity is never guaranteed since we are observing conspecifics. Questionnaire studies aggravate the problem by adding additional sources of data filtering and bias. This article provides a short outline of the steps that need to be taken in order to ensure that data collected in observational studies are valid. It is aimed to raise awareness for the requirements of observational studies in order to meet the standard definition of ethology, and describes the limits and potential of observation in comparison to questionnaire studies.