Abstract
The value of using multivariate techniques in categorization of behaviors derived from naturalistic observations was examined. It is suggested that these techniques are superior to the traditional methods of forming categories based on a priori conceptualizations, simply correlating the measures, or leaving the categorization of a multitude of behaviors to the reader. The present study used factor analytic techniques to identify both the number and nature of dimensions of rodents' social behaviors observed in the open field. Predictions as to the relationship between these derived categories and visual behaviors were then made. It was shown that rodents' social behavior is not unidimensional and is related to visual experience. Also, the utility of using multivariate statistics for both analyzing and categorizing a large number of behaviors was shown.