Observation can be broadly classed as two things. Firstly, it is the activity undertaken by an intelligent living being - either an animal or a human - in everyday life. Observation allows individuals to recognize their surroundings and essentially survive. Secondly, observation can be classed as the recording of data and qualitative information in scientific experiments. These observations can help us draw conclusions about what might be happening in a particular experiment, based upon observed evidence.
• Observation in intelligent living beings.
Observation is essential in nature, in order for living beings to survive. It enables individuals to recognize surroundings and situations, so they can then make choices based upon this information. The observation process often occurs without the living being realizing. For instance, a person walking down a corridor may see a closed door blocking their way. They would then open the door and pass through it without much consideration on the matter.
In other cases, observation can be a very conscious process. For example, a fox creeping through the forest will watch carefully for passing rabbits. Once it has observed a rabbit it will pounce after it in order to catch it for dinner. The rabbit, upon observing the fox, will run away as quickly as possible. In many cases, the plea of the rabbit will depend on how observant it has been (compared to how observant the fox has been). Natural phenomena such as this situation highlight the importance of good observational skills.
• Observation in scientific experiments
Observations must be made in scientific experiments so we can work out what is happening, based on observable evidence. For instance, if we observed a solid substance fizzing and bubbling in a solution, it would be clear the solid was dissolving; we could check this conclusion by observing whether the solid is still present after the fizzing process.
• Observation in intelligent living beings.
Observation is essential in nature, in order for living beings to survive. It enables individuals to recognize surroundings and situations, so they can then make choices based upon this information. The observation process often occurs without the living being realizing. For instance, a person walking down a corridor may see a closed door blocking their way. They would then open the door and pass through it without much consideration on the matter.
In other cases, observation can be a very conscious process. For example, a fox creeping through the forest will watch carefully for passing rabbits. Once it has observed a rabbit it will pounce after it in order to catch it for dinner. The rabbit, upon observing the fox, will run away as quickly as possible. In many cases, the plea of the rabbit will depend on how observant it has been (compared to how observant the fox has been). Natural phenomena such as this situation highlight the importance of good observational skills.
• Observation in scientific experiments
Observations must be made in scientific experiments so we can work out what is happening, based on observable evidence. For instance, if we observed a solid substance fizzing and bubbling in a solution, it would be clear the solid was dissolving; we could check this conclusion by observing whether the solid is still present after the fizzing process.
