Abstract
In recent times psychologists have shown a growing interest in ethological methods of data collection. At the same time ethologists are showing a growing interest in the methods of data processing as developed in personality psychology. These methods of data processing appear to be most useful to ethological research when investigating differences between individuals. Using factor analysis of aggressive behaviour as an example, it is argued that an ethological approach which focusses on individual differences may add substantial information to the models derived from a (classical) ethological approach which only concerns general pictures of species. The advantages of the proposed research procedures are discussed, especially in relation to behavioural genetic and ontogenetic research.
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Without the help and assistance of staff members of the departments of ethology and personality psychology of Groningen University this text would never have reached its present form. The suggestions of Ference Bodnár, Ciska Feekes, No Molenaar, Nance Vodegel and Annemarie van der Molen are gratefully acknowledged. Translation from Dutch into English was taken care of by Margi and Talib Rothengatter. The drawings were prepared by Agnes de Graaf.
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van der Molen, P.P. The ethology of inter-individual differences. Acta Biotheor 28, 123–134 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00046808
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00046808