Editorial: Systematic Observation: Engaging Researchers in the Study of Daily Life as It Is Lived

Abstract

The Research Topic Systematic observation: Engaging researchers in the study of daily life as it is lived (Section Quantitative Psychology and Measurement) faithfully reflects the interest of many researchers to conduct studies based on a methodology that is essentially characterized by being highly flexible and rigorous, and that aims to capture reality as it happens when studying it scientifically. The analysis of a part of reality is complex, given the multifaceted nature of any aspect of daily life. This complexity is manifested in numerous aspects to be considered, from the initial filtering that must be done to conveniently delimit the part of reality to be studied, to the structuring of the ideal observational design, the construction of a customized instrument that allows to properly channel all the behaviors/elements to be observed around the axes or dimensions around which the studied reality pivots, the materialization of a suitably coded record, the management of the records, data quality control, its subsequent analysis, and the interpretation of the results. This process is none other than the scientific method, although adapted to the reality of natural situations, in which it is not possible or convenient to apply the control that other methodologies offer, given that the spontaneity of behavior and the habituality of the context are of primary concern. In a schematic way, we could say that in the systematic observation the face and cross of a same coin are focused: "Face" because its proven versatility and adaptability make it extremely interesting and demanded in innumerable situations, and "cross" because the rigor of the own scientific method gives it a very estimable value that prestige such studies, as shown in the scientific community. The fact that Frontiers in Psychology, a prestigious scientific journal of high visibility around the world, had accepted the proposal of this Research Topic, gives more body and arguments in favor of systematic observation to the scientific community. The 23 articles that make up the Research Topic Systematic observation: Engaging researchers in the study of daily life as it is lived are organized from a substantive point of view in different criteria, although each of the published articles could have been "classified" from several points of view.