How to turn monkey behaviour into a recordable "ethogram"

Before studying sound, the team first answered a more basic question: how do you turn what you "see" into something "recordable"?

Published in 2012, this study observed freely ranging cynomolgus macaques: 6,012 individual observations in the field initially described 107 behaviours; a random cohort independently validated 83 of them, grouped into 12 classes; 53 were finally selected as the core items reflecting the species' daily activity — a systematic ethogram.

The ethogram's value is standardization: anyone observing the same group can record against the same items, making behaviour comparable, cumulative and statistical. This "define recordable labels first, analyse later" approach is the same methodology the team later applied to time-label segmentation of heart sounds, breath sounds and infant cries — turning continuous, easily contested observations into consistent data.

To be clear: this is a non-human-primate behavioural methodology study published in PLoS ONE; the CV entry lists Xu Fan first, with author order and roles defined by the published version. It is part of the team's research history — the company had no involvement and does not appear in the acknowledgements. It is posted solely as a "team research update", not as proof of any product or technical capability.