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--- abstract: |- Quantitative behaviour analysis requires the classification of behaviour to produce the basic data. In practice, much of this work will be performed by multiple observers, and maximising inter-observer consistency is of particular importance. Another discipline where consistency in classification is vital is biological taxonomy. A classification tool of great utility, the binary key, is designed to simplify the classification decision process and ensure consistent identification of proper categories. We show how this same decision-making tool - the binary key - can be used to promote consistency in the classification of behaviour. The construction of a binary key also ensures that the categories in which behaviour is classified are complete and non-overlapping. We discuss the general principles of design of binary keys, and illustrate their construction and use with a practical example from education research. altloc: - http://eprint.uq.edu.au/archive/00000917/ - http://www.aare.edu.au/02pap/cho02101.htm chapter: ~ commentary: ~ commref: ~ confdates: 'December, 2002' conference: Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference 2002 (AARE2002) confloc: 'Brisbane, Australia' contact_email: ~ creators_id: [] creators_name: - family: Nieminen given: Timo A. honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Choi given: Serene Hyun-Jin honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Bahr given: Mark honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Bahr given: Nan honourific: '' lineage: '' date: 2002 date_type: published datestamp: 2004-11-29 department: ~ dir: disk0/00/00/39/63 edit_lock_since: ~ edit_lock_until: ~ edit_lock_user: ~ editors_id: [] editors_name: [] eprint_status: archive eprintid: 3963 fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/3963/1/cho02101.pdf full_text_status: public importid: ~ institution: ~ isbn: ~ ispublished: pub issn: ~ item_issues_comment: [] item_issues_count: 0 item_issues_description: [] item_issues_id: [] item_issues_reported_by: [] item_issues_resolved_by: [] item_issues_status: [] item_issues_timestamp: [] item_issues_type: [] keywords: classification; behaviour analysis; binary keys lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:55:44 latitude: ~ longitude: ~ metadata_visibility: show note: ~ number: ~ pagerange: CHO02101 pubdom: FALSE publication: ~ publisher: ~ refereed: TRUE referencetext: |- Barlow, D. H. and Hersen, M. (1984). Single case experimental designs: strategies for studying behavior change, 2nd ed., Pergamon Press, New York. Bekoff, M. (1977). Three areas of classical ethology. pp 1-46 in Hazlett, B. A. (ed), Quantitative methods in the study of animal behaviour, Academic Press, New York. Dallwitz, M. J. (1974). A flexible computer program for generating identification keys. Syst. Zool., 23, 50-57. Gay, L. R. (1996). Educational research: competencies for analysis and application, 5th ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Gittleman, J. L. and Decker, D. M. (1994). The phylogeny of behaviour. pp 80-105 in Slater, P. J. B. and Halliday, T. R. (eds), Behaviour and Evolution, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Herbert, J. and Attridge, C. (1975). A guide for developers and users of observation systems and manuals. American Educational Research Journal, 12, 1-20. Meltzoff, J. (1998). Critical thinking about research: psychology and related fields, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. Metcalf, Z. P. (1954). The construction of keys. Syst. Zool., 3, 38-45. Mitchell, M. and Jolley, J. (2001). Research design explained, 4th ed., Harcourt, Fort Worth, TX. Osborne, D. V. (1963a). A numerical representation for taxonomic keys. New Phytologist, 62, 35-43. Osborne, D. V. (1963b). Some aspects of the theory of dichotomous keys. New Phytologist, 62, 144-160. Payne, R. W. and Preece, D. A. (1980). Identification keys and diagnostic tables: a review. J. R. Statist. Soc. A, 143, 253-292. Slater, P. J. B. (1978). Data collection. pp 7-24 in Colgan, P. W. (ed), Quantitative Ethology, John Wiley, New York. Whitley, B. E., Jr. (2002). Principles of research in behavioral science, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, Boston. relation_type: [] relation_uri: [] reportno: ~ rev_number: 12 series: ~ source: ~ status_changed: 2007-09-12 16:54:40 subjects: - behav-anal succeeds: ~ suggestions: ~ sword_depositor: ~ sword_slug: ~ thesistype: ~ title: 'Improving behaviour classification consistency: a technique from biological taxonomy' type: confpaper userid: 5263 volume: ~