Behavioural assessment techniques are the procedures by which behaviour is converted into systematic, comparable records for clinical, welfare, or research purposes. They divide into indirect instruments, in which owners report behaviour across everyday contexts, and direct methods, in which behaviour is recorded during a defined observation window, often under standardised conditions such as a brief separation test[1]. Because the two yield only partially corresponding results, scores from one cannot substitute for the other [1]. Every technique is judged on purpose, standardisation, reliability, validity, and practicality, and many instruments in use lack documented evidence for these properties [2]. Observer-rated tools additionally require demonstrated inter-rater and intra-rater agreement before their scores can be compared across assessors or occasions [3].
- behavioural assessment
- owner-report questionnaire
- standardised observation
- inter-rater reliability
- validity
References
- Lucia Kotianová; Bára Janíková; Jasana Koláčková; Renáta Hesová; Leona Kryštofová; Vladimír Večerek; Eva VoslářOvá; Comparison of selected subscales of the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire with behaviour observed during a brief separation test in companion dogs in the Czech Republic. Acta Vet. Brno 2026, 95, 273-281. [CrossRef]
- Katy D. Taylor; Daniel S. Mills; The development and assessment of temperament tests for adult companion dogs. J. Vet. Behav. 2006, 1, 94-108. [CrossRef]
- Tennille K. Lamon; Margaret R. Slater; Courtney Daigle; Xandra Meneses; Christine M. Budke; A comparative analysis of the cat stress score and the novel psychological quality of life assessment tool for cats in a shelter setting. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2026, 297, 106925. [CrossRef]