Behavioral studies observe what actions research participants take to accomplish tasks and meet their needs. People are not reliable at self-reporting their own behavior for multiple reasons. We forget steps that are habitual, we use mental heuristics to short-cut reasoning, have faulty memories, or we are affected by cognitive biases and inaccurately report our experiences. By observing human behavior, researchers can accurately see what participants do.

Attitudinal Studies Versus Behavioral Studies

The difference between attitudinal and behavioral studies comes down to whether participants are telling you about their behavior or you are observing their behavior. Behavioral studies do not rely on self-reporting from participants.In other words, what they say versus what they do.

Examples of Behavioral Studies

• A/B Tests
• Usability Study
• Field Studies
• Heatmaps/Eye-tracking