**2. Ethological analysis based on numerical methods**

Since 30 years in the space domain [4, 5], ethology, defined as the science of behavior, has covered a wide panel of application fields on men and women living and working in real situations (orbital flights, parabolic flights), in simulated conditions (isolation and confinement campaigns), and in analog environments (south-polar stations, north-pole expeditions).

In its operational definition "behavior is the expression, the emergence, here and now, of a historical system constituted by the individual and his own universe" [6].

Behavior falls within the scope of phenomena and not physico-chemical objects. This phenomenon appears as a motor activity performed by a subject and represents a continuous manifestation. There is always an action or fact to describe even when the subject is at rest. Such a description leads to a large volume of discursive

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*Human Missions Analysis for Intelligent Missions Improvement*

data whose subsequent analysis must be sequenced. The specificity of the ethological method is the transition from qualitative observation to quantitative description that reflects continuity in its analogical aspects as a mathematical function. The analysis is carried out in three steps: observation, description, and quantification

In human ethology, the method is to observe the subject's behavior in usual activities. It can be not only acts of daily life, leisure, execution of work tasks but also in experimental situations or the performance of tests. A special feature of this approach is to exploit the field of observable events. Everything is observable to the extent that the relationship between the individual and his environment emerges, that is, is objectively visible. The observer's eye remains irreplaceable for describing behavior in all its complexity (positions, orientations, motions, expressions,

Since behavior is a continuous process, it is necessary to build a system of units that breaks down this continuity and digitizes it. This amounts to dividing the observed behavioral flow into motor acts, the various possibilities of which are

The behavioral reading instrument consists of establishing a repertoire, in terms of action verbs, according to a vocal-mimo-posturo-gestural vocabulary (e.g., "raise the arm," "lower the head," "turn the body to the right," "darken the eyebrows," "smile," "speak to," "give an object to," etc.). The ethologist builds a digitization instrument corresponding to different levels of description (microscopic vision,

The description tool is the direct input in the field or the delayed input of video

The numerical tool measures the probability of occurrence of each act in the repertoire, by counting these manifestations in terms of frequency, duration, or sequential order, replacing each behavioral unit in its functional framework and in its own space. It allows this complexity to be represented by multivariable processing. The quantification of the observed behavior is then translated into occurrence frequencies (absolute or relative), transition frequencies, and association frequencies. The duration of the items is also measured in the behavioral sequence. A spatial mapping into digitized units is performed in the same way. We obtain a scheme of

A software-based solution for research in space ethology is called The Observer XT® software [7]. It is a professional system that can be used for the collection, analysis, and presentation of observational data. It allows annotation of behavioral descriptors through a traditional encoding process. Its technical specificity is the synchronization of video files with the collection of ethological data as state events or point events, and any other source of information such as psycho-physiological

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90795*

interactions, and communications).

(**Figure 2**).

**2.1 Observation**

**2.2 Description**

described over time.

macroscopic vision).

**2.3 Quantification**

**2.4 Computer support**

recordings collected in a situation.

use of space combining space, time, and activity.

measurements and environmental parameters.

*Ethological tools related to The Observer XT software.*

#### *Human Missions Analysis for Intelligent Missions Improvement DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90795*

data whose subsequent analysis must be sequenced. The specificity of the ethological method is the transition from qualitative observation to quantitative description that reflects continuity in its analogical aspects as a mathematical function. The analysis is carried out in three steps: observation, description, and quantification (**Figure 2**).
