JWatcher is a powerful tool for the quantitative analysis of behaviour. It can be used to address any theoretical problem that requires a complex sequence of actions to be scored by a human observer. JWatcher is written in Java[TM] and is hence not dependent on a particular operating system. It will run on almost any microcomputer capable of providing a Java Virtual Machine[TM] and has been tested on both Windows[TM] and Macintosh[TM] systems.

JWatcher can be used simply as an event recorder which logs the time at which keys are pressed. It was designed primarily for focal sampling, in which a single subject is observed continuously. The real power of JWatcher is, however, in its analysis routines. These calculate time budgets and provide statistics about the duration of behavioural states and the intervals between them.

We developed JWatcher because existing event-recording programs typically force the user to make a restrictive series of decisions before beginning to observe behaviour. JWatcher imposes few such constraints. It is based on a 'score once, analyse many times' philosophy that we have adopted in our studies of animal behaviour. For instance, a single data file can be used to calculate time budgets over both short and long periods, or to track changes in different subsets of the behaviours seen. Each behaviour can be analysed both as an instantaneous event (measuring frequency) and as a state (measuring total duration). The logical relationships between behaviours can be edited in post-processing (i.e., a given behavioural state can be redefined as independent or as mutually exclusive with others). The number of states that can be tracked simultaneously is limited only by the number of alphanumeric keys available. Users may choose to exclude or ignore certain behaviours in analyses, and categories can be combined to generate behavioural codes that were not originally scored. Batch mode analyses allow efficient processing.

JWatcher was designed to be used in association with common word processing, spreadsheet, and graphics software. It produces simple output files that can readily be imported by such programs. We have concentrated on developing new scoring and analysis algorithms, rather than duplicating functions in existing software.

Manual
Before installing or using JWatcher, we suggest that you read the 33 page JWatcher manual [PDF]. If you have questions while running JWatcher, consult the manual and list of Frequently Asked Questions. The links at the bottom of the page allow you to choose JWatcher for either Mac or Windows, with or without a supporting Java environment. Refer to page 4 of the manual to determine which version to install. We have recently developed instructional materials that use JWatcher to teach focal animal sampling.

Hardware and Software Requirements
JWatcher requires a Java Virtual Machine, which can be obtained as a free download (see below). Overall speed varies with CPU type and data analysis limits are dependent upon installed RAM. We suggest a minimum of 64Mb of free RAM and a recent CPU (Pentium II/III or G3/G4 >250mHz) for running the whole package. Slower machines are adequate for simple data collection.

We have developed and tested JWatcher using the Mac OS Runtime For Java version 2.2.3 which can be downloaded from Apple Computer's site and the Windows Java Runtime Environment version 1.1.8 which can be downloaded from Sun Microsystem's site. JWatcher will not run properly with other versions of Java.

Download JWatcher