Gathering naturalistic, objective data on the behavior of schizophrenic patients

A behavioral observation system, consisting of 12 behavior categories and an apparatus for recording them, was designed as a tool for gathering objective, naturalistic data on the ongoing behavior of hospitalized schizophrenics. After the system was tested and evaluated, it was used to draw behavioral profiles of 62 schizophrenics on two psychiatric wards of a Veterans Administration hospital. The results indicate the labeled schizophrenic is typified by a lack of adaptive behavior, a blankness, and a failure to get involved with his environment.