Methodological innovations for advancing equitable observations of human behavior and social interactions in psychological science

The purpose of this special issue was to bring together articles discussing pragmatic, new, equitably informed methodologies for the use of behavioral observation in psychology. This introduction highlights main themes that emerged across the published articles, such as the importance of theory and innovative methods in observational research, the use of artificial intelligence in observational coding and data collection, and methods that advance equitable observation principles. Articles highlight strategies and tips for the use of observational methods that are more pragmatic, less costly, and less time intensive. Additionally, articles discuss the use of observational methods across settings (e.g., home, school, and therapeutic), modalities (e.g., wearables, virtual), and analytic methods (e.g., machine learning). We conclude the introduction with ethical considerations that emerged across the special issue, as well as the need for the use of pragmatic observational methods in large, epidemiological studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).