Types of Data. |
What are you measuring?
Ethologists often collect data that falls into 1 of 3 mutually exclusive categories. The reliability training process that we undergo varies depending on the type of data collection we hope to gain consistency in.
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Tasks and techniques
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Categorical data
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Continuous data
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Ethologists often conduct specific tasks or techniques to generate data. Although some of these may seem straightforward on the surface, people may carry them out differently. Therefore, training and evaluating reliability in performing them is recommended. Examples include:
- Taking photographs
- Weighing animals
- Measuring feed intake
- Using a precise instrument, e.g. an algometer to quantify tissue sensitivity in pain research
Categorical data are data collected in discrete bins, like yes/no, or on a discrete scale, e.g. 1, 2, or 3. Discrete outcomes can only be specific, set values. Categorical variables are either nominal or ordinal.
Nominal outcomes are not ordered (e.g. hair color - one color isn't considered greater or less than another color). If there are only 2 categories (yes/no), then they are considered binary.
Ordinal outcomes follow an order or rank (e.g. score 1 < score 2 < score 3). While positions in ordinal data matter, the differences between positions may not be meaningful (e.g. score 2 isn't necessarily twice as "good" as score 1).
Examples include:
Nominal outcomes are not ordered (e.g. hair color - one color isn't considered greater or less than another color). If there are only 2 categories (yes/no), then they are considered binary.
Ordinal outcomes follow an order or rank (e.g. score 1 < score 2 < score 3). While positions in ordinal data matter, the differences between positions may not be meaningful (e.g. score 2 isn't necessarily twice as "good" as score 1).
Examples include:
- Presence/absence of a behavior (e.g. panting)
- Hygiene scores
- Wound scores
Continuous data are data collected on an interval or ratio scale that can take on an unlimited number of values between 2 points. The difference between points on a scale is meaningful - for example, 35 degrees Celsius is warmer than 17 degrees Celsius, an animal that is eating for 20 minutes is eating twice as long as one that eats for 10 minutes, and an animal that vocalizes 12 times is vocalizing more than one that vocalizes 9 times.
Examples include:
Examples include:
- Duration of a behavior (e.g. time spent eating, proportion of observations spent grooming)
- Latency to approach an object
- Frequencies or counts of an outcome (e.g. number of foraging pecks)
