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Naturalistic Observations

Naturalistic Observations

If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unraveling the Mysteries of Terrestrial Anaerobic Microorganisms in Uncharted Environments by In Situ Culturing

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Habituating field scientists.

Lys Alcayna-Stevens¹

¹Social Anthropology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK.

Social Studies of Science

|December 28, 2016

Summary

Field scientists studying bonobos (Pan paniscus) in the Congo develop unique sensory attention. Familiarity with the environment transforms it from neutral to deeply meaningful.

Area of Science:

Primatology
Sensory Anthropology
Field Ecology

Background:

Scientific field research on free-ranging bonobos (Pan paniscus) is uniquely situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo's equatorial rainforest.
Sensory anthropology posits that senses are shaped by cultural and environmental contexts.
Previous work has examined primatologists' habituation strategies, aiming for neutrality to habituate wild apes.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the sensory dimensions of scientific field research on bonobos.
To understand how researchers develop familiarity and sensory attunement in an initially unfamiliar environment.
To analyze the somatic modes of attention employed by researchers studying bonobos.

Main Methods:

Qualitative analysis of sensory experiences in field research.

Keywords:

anthropology of the senses bonobos field science habituation human-animal relations place

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Ethnographic tracing of somatic attention developed by European and North American researchers.

Examination of habituation processes in primatological studies.

Main Results:

Researchers develop specific somatic modes of attention to navigate and understand the rainforest environment.
The process of becoming familiar with the environment does not lead to a 'neutral' perception.
Familiarity imbues the environment, its inhabitants, and elements with rich, specific meaning.

Conclusions:

Sensory attunement is crucial for effective field research with wild animals like bonobos.
The perception of the research environment evolves from unfamiliar to a meaningful, sensorially rich space.
Understanding these sensory dimensions offers insights into the human-environment relationship in scientific fieldwork.