Since its introduction in 1990, The Observer has become a standard tool for collecting, managing, analyzing and presenting observational data, with thousands of users worldwide. The current implementations, The Observer Basic 3.0 and The Observer Video-Pro 4.0 [1,2], are heading for an extensive upgrade in version 5.0. At the conference, we will present a preview1 of the most important new functionality that will become available in The Observer 5.0 as compared to the current versions.

Configuration
With respect to study design, version 5.0 will offer a substantial number of new features. The most important are: · It will be possible to define successive focals, i.e. to have a number of observations for a series of focal subjects within a single observational session, without delay between the various observations. This saves a lot of time if one needs to observe individual subjects in turn for a specified amount of time, e.g. people in a group, pedestrians crossing a street, or chimpanzees in a colony.

• It will be possible to define a recording method for each behavioral class. Thus one can combine e.g. continuous recording with interval sampling, convenient if one wants to make an ongoing record of all behaviors of a focal subject, while recording the activity of other individuals at fixed intervals.
• In version 5.0 one will be able to define multiple simultaneous modifiers, i.e. modifiers that do not mutually exclude each other. This is particular useful for studies of spatial behavior (one individual being in proximity with a varying number of other individuals in a group) or interactions (people in a discussion group talking to a varying number of other people).
• It will become possible to define numerical scales, which can be analyzed accordingly. Thus one can calculate the level of aggression, or the average number of toys a child is playing with, if one defines these variables as a numerical class of behaviors or as numerical modifiers.
• Scoring and analyzing action-reaction dyads will become more flexible by defining a particular behavioral element as triggering. This will split up a record of the actor- action-receiver-reaction type into two separate record actor-action-receiver, and receiver-reaction-actor, thus allowing for a more accurate recording and analysis of this type of social behavior.
• In version 5.0 one can decide to which behaviors a comment can be added. This is especially convenient if one has a large number of activity categories but only one element of verbal behavior for which one wants to transcribe the utterance in an additional comment field.

Observation
All new features in the Configuration module will be supported in an intuitive way in the newly designed Observation module. In order to be able to score successive focals in a number of observations within a single session we have discarded the concept of predefined 'channels' (combinations of focal subjects and classes of behavioral elements). It was obligatory to do so, because one may not always know the number of focal subjects or their identity in advance. In version 5.0, there is no longer a limitation with respect to the number of focal subjects or behavior classes that can be scored simultaneously. It will also be possible to score behaviors occurring in bouts, i.e. repetitive series of events such as pecking for chickens, allogrooming for monkeys or ruminating for cows. A lot of new functionality will be integrated into a single Event Log, preventing many distracting windows and dialog boxes from cluttering up the screen.

Analysis
The most important enhancements with regard to data analysis are as follows:

• We plan to have a unified data selection method for selection and filtering of observations, scope (session/observations), time intervals, subjects, behaviors, and modifiers in an integrated view instead of in a large number of separate dialog boxes.
• The time-event table and time-event plot will be integrated into a single viewer, and will allow sorting of output by observation groups, subjects and behavioral classes.
• The Elementary Statistics module will offer a number of new statistics, including median and quartiles, confidence interval, frequency rate, statistics for bouts, statistics for numerical values, and statistics for multiple simultaneous modifiers.

Figure 1. Preview of the user interface of The Observer 5.0, compliant with Windows 98/NT standards, showing a tree view of all items in a single project and some views that allow you to define the properties of behavioral elements.

• The Reliability Analysis module will provide four methods for calculation of inter-observer agreement, based on frequency, duration, time-sequence, and duration-sequence. It will also compute a confusion matrix, Cohen's Kappa and Pearson's Rho.
• Lag Sequential Analysis will support higher order transitions, up to 10 transitions forwards and backwards in time, and will generate transition matrices for each subject, combination of subject-behavioral class, and for each behavioral class.

References

1. Noldus, L.P.J.J.; Trienes, R.J.H.; Hendriksen, A.H.M.; Jansen, H.; Jansen, R.G. (2000), The Observer Video-Pro: New software for the collection, management, and presentation of time-structured data from videotapes and digital media files. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 32, 197-206.
2. Trienes, R.J.H.; Jansen, J.; Carvalhais, J.D.; Fujão, C.; Magalhães, M.; Serranheira, F.; Simoés, A. (1998). Observing ergonomics: The Observer Video-Pro in RSI research. In Measuring Behavior '98. Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research (Groningen, The Netherlands, 18-21 August 1998), 288-289.

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