scientific methods in behavior (week 3)

8/11/2019 Scientific Methods in Behavior (Week 3)

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Scientific methods and

measuringbehavior

D r . P a r i c h a r t L a k s a n a w im o l

A n i m a l b e h a v i o r , M a j o r o f B i o l o g y ,

F a c u l t y o f S c i e n c e , C h a n d r a k a s e m R a j a b h a t U n i v e r s i t y


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Make Observation

Formulate hypothesis to

explain observation

Test HypothesisPass Fail

Hypothesis Theory

Test Theory

Theory Law

Pass Fail

Fail


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The Scientific MethodTinbergen's Observations on the Bee Wolf -Philanthus triangulum


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The Scientific Method

Tinbergen's Observations on the Bee Wolf -Philanthus triangulum

6. Confirm hypothesis

1.Observation - Female flies in a circle before

going to hunt?

2. Hypothesis - Female is using landmarks to find

the nest.

3. Prediction - Female will return to alandmark to find the nest.

4.Test - Place an artificial landmark around the

nest and move it when the female is away

5.Result - Female orients to new landmark.


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The Scientific Method

Tinbergen's Observations on the Bee Wolf -

Philanthus triangulum

6. Result - Female orients to pine cones and not scented

pads.

6. Confirm hypothesis

1. Question Isthe femaleresponding to the cones or their

scent.

2. Hypothesis - Female is using visual cues to find the nest.

3.Prediction - Female will return to a landmark to find the nest.

4.Test - Place an artificial landmark around the nest and

include scented (pine oil) pads.


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MeasuringBehaviour


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LearningOutcomes

Background Define animal behaviour and discuss what causes it.

Understand why we study animalbehaviour.

Measuring Behaviour

Understand how we study animalbehaviour (researchmethods).

Createand categorise a portion of an ethogram of primate

behaviours. Createan activitybudget from a videoof primatebehaviour.

Understand the concepts of latency, frequency and duration.

Use various techniques to record primatebehaviour (scan/focal).

Recognise the problemsof anthropomorphism in abehaviour study.


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Student Activity


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What isAnimal Behaviour?

Animal behaviour Is simply whattheanimal

isdoing, or

how

they are reacting.

Ethology Is thestudy of animal

behaviour.Ethos character

ology thestudy of


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What causes animal behaviour?

To someextent all behaviours aregenetic(i.e. a monkey

will act like

a monkey, and a bird a bird)

It isalsoa response to external/internal

environments.

External environment e.g.rain, heat,cold,other

animals,

etc.

Internal environment e.g.hormones,disease, parasites.


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Huddle together

Seekshelter

Hide

Seeka mate

Rest

External Environment

Factor/Stimuli Behaviour response

Cold Huddletogether

Rain Seekshelter

Predator seen Hide

Internal Environment

Factor/Stimuli Behaviour response

Hormones Seekamate

Disease Rest


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WhyStudy Animal Behaviour?

Analysinganimalbehaviourinforms us about the evolution of

how we think, actand interact

.

Understand why animalsbehave

the waytheydo.

Understand when an animalhas a

need and thus usethisinformationtomake changes forthe animalswelfare.


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How to Study Behaviour

1. Formulate initial questions and makepreliminary observations.

2. Formulate hypotheses and make predictions.3. Choose behavioural measures and researchdesign

(methods).

4. Define each measure5. Select the appropriate recording methods.

6. Practicethe recording methods

7. Collect the data

8. Analyse thedata

9. Drawsomeconclusions and return to step1.


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Studying aMixedSpeciesExhibit


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Capuchin Monkeys Squirrel Monkeys

Taxonomy Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia,

Primate,Cebidae

Cebus apellaorSapajus apella

Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia,

Primate,Cebidae

Saimiri sciureus

0.551.25kg, males and females

similar in weight.

South American

forests

Size 1.3 4.8kg, with males being

largerthan females.

Habitat &

Range

South Americanforests

DietMainly fruits and invertebrates,

but

also eat small animals and plants.Mainly insects and fruits but also eat

other parts of plants, and various

smallanimals.


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Capuchin Monkeys Squirrel MonkeysSocial StructureGroup size ranges from630. One

alpha male and female and a

varietyof dominantsubmissive

interactionsthroughout the rest of

the group.Nolinear hierarchy

exists.

Group size 3070. There are more adult

females in a group than adult males.

There is analpha male and female and

avariety

of dominant

submissive

interactionsthroughout the rest of the

group.No linearhierarchy exists.

Forest living insectivorefrugivores that

are

arboreal and diurnal.They are also prey for cats, such as

jaguars, birds of prey and crocodiles.

Squirrel monkeys scream and give high

pitched peep and twitter calls, they

also communicate through facial

expression

and body language.

EcologicalNicheForest living insectivorefrugivores

that are arboreal and diurnal.They are also prey for cats, such

asjaguars,birds of prey and

crocodiles.

CommunicationCapuchin monkeys have awide rangeof vocalisations,

but they also communicate

with avariety of visualsignals

through facial expression and

body language.


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1. Formulate initial questions and make

preliminary observations Howdo theprimates react to living inamixed

species group?

Howdoesliving inamixedgroup effecttheir

behaviour and welfare?

Do they interactin apositive, negative orneutralway?

Whenand where should Istudy the primates?

Howmany primates can Istudy?


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I

(

Inside enclosures ,

r e sea rch r o o m s a n d

public v iewing a r ea s


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Study Site

5m


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Study Subjects

WEST EAST

Sq. monkeysCapuchins

3adult

females

2young males

1male infant

1infant sex

unknown

Total =7

3.3.1

Capuchins

1 alpha male

3younger

males

1adult female

Total = 5

4.1.0

Sq. monkeys

1adult

male

3young males

7adult females

1young female

3male infants

Total =15

7.7.0

1alpha male

6adult females

2male infants

1female infant

Total =10

3.7.0


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2. Formulate Hypotheses

1. Squirrelmonkeyswill choose to

associatewith capuchins, however

thecapuchins will bedominant over

thesquirrel

monkeys.

1. Achange

in the enclosure

design

will

haveapositive effect on the

relationshipbetween the

two species.


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3. Choosebehaviouralmeasuresand

research design(methods)

Hypothesis 1Squirrelmonkeyswillchoose to

associate

with capuchins,

however thecapuchins will bedominant

over thesquirrel

monkeys.

Behavioural measureRecord speciesassociations, and the

directionof the

associations.


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3. Choosebehaviouralmeasuresand

research design(methods)

Hypothesis2Achangein theenclosure

design willhaveapositive effect on the

relationship between the

two species.

Behavioural measureRecord speciesinteractionsbefore and

afterthe

change.

4 D fi h


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4. Defineeach measure

Ethogram Ethogram A comprehensive list,

inventory, or description ofall thebehaviours of an organism.

A complete ethogram of all the

behaviour for one species is very longand so we will be creating portions of

ethograms.

4 Define each measure


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4. Define eachmeasure

(Behaviour Categories and Definitions)Saywhatyou see, not whatyou think !Behaviour Category Definition

Aggression Chasing,biting, hitting or screamingatanother monkey. Mayinclude

threatdisplays, such as shakingbranches or lunging atanother.

Play One monkey chases or wrestles with another, in anonaggressive

manner.Resting alone Lying or sitting away from thegroup

Resting together Lying or sitting in contactwith anothermonkey

Feeding Searching for/manipulating/ingesting food

Moving alone Locomoting across the ground or in thetrees

without anothermonkey.

Moving together

Locomoting across the groundor in the

trees

with another monkey.


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DesignPartofan Ethogram

SCREEN SHOT ONLY

Living Linkswebsitehttp://www.living

links.org/resources/materialsforteachers/measuringbehaviour

lessonplan/

Vimeo http://vimeo.com/channels/livinglinks/45906210

5 S l t th i t


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5. Select theappropriate

recording methodsFocalObserving one individualfor aspecified

amount of

time and recording

their

behaviour.

ExampleUseA study looking at thenumber ofaggressiveinteractions by a

specifiedindividual.

Scan

A group of individuals is scannedat

regular

intervalsand the behaviour of eachone is recorded.

ExampleUse

A study looking at enclosure

usebyanentire group of animals.

What kind of data do you want


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What kind of data doyouwant

to record?

State

Behaviours that occurforan extended duration.

Examples Lying walking,

foraging,sleeping.

Events

Behaviors that areshort induration and generally

counted rather than timed

ExamplesFighting,

yawning, sneezing,

vocalising.

L t T F l


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Lets Trya Focal

SCREEN SHOT ONLY

Living Links websitehttp://www.living

links.org/resources/materialsfor

teachers/measuringbehaviourlessonplan/

L T S


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Lets Trya Scan

SCREEN SHOT ONLY

LivingLinkswebsite http://www.livinglinks.org/resources/materials for

teachers/measuringbehaviourlessonplan/

Vimeo http://vimeo.com/45246079

5 Select the appropriate recording


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5. Select theappropriate recording

methodsAd libitumSamplingObserverrecords key behaviours of interestwhenever they occur.

Continuous Sampling

All occurrences of behaviour arerecorded. When they start

and

when they stop.

Point/Instantaneous Time SamplingBehaviour is sampled periodically atregular intervals.

Which recording methods were used in


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Whichrecording methods wereused in

Living together?

Continuous

Instantaneous

Ad

lib

Focal

Scan

Latency frequency & duration


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Latency, frequency &duration

Latency Is the time(sec, min,hrs) froma specific event to the

startof a behaviour.

Frequency the number of times

abehaviour

is displayed per

unit

of time.

Duration The length of timethat asinglebehaviour lasts.

6 P ti th di th d


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6. Practice the recording methods

Capuchin and chimpanzeevideos

Extrachallenge Live Squirrel MonkeyCam

http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/monkeycam.html

or LiveSnow Monkey Cam

http://www.highlandwildlifepark.org/snowmonkey

webcam

7. Collect the Data


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ExampleData sheet

EAST Wing Scan Sampling Check Sheet 5

Capuchins (C) , 10

Squirrel Monkeys (S)Time: Date: Weather:

Behaviour/

time

Resting Moving Feeding Other

Cap Squir Cap Squir Cap Squir Cap Squir

Cap nearest

neighbour

Cap Squir

|| || ||

Squir nearest Out of View

neighbour

Cap Squir Cap Squir

||| |

|||Start | ||| || | | ||

||

||||

5 min

10 min

15 min

20 min

25 min

Using your behaviour categories to


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Behaviour Definition Type of

Aggression Chasing, biting, hitting or screaming at another monkey.

May include threat displays, such as shaking branches or

lunging at another.

Play One monkey chases or wrestles with another, in anon

aggressive manner.

Resting alone Lying or sitting away from thegroup

Resting together Lying or sitting in contactwith anothermonkey

Feeding Searching for/manipulating/ingesting food

Moving alone Locomoting across the groundor in thetrees

without anothermonkey.

Moving

together

Locomoting across the groundor in thetrees

with another monkeyin non

aggressive

manner.

Interaction

_

+

N

+

N

N

+

Usingyourbehaviour categoriesto

group data for analysis

8 Analyse the data


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8. Analyse the data

Table

Frequency of directions of interactionsbetweenthe two species

Direction Negative Positive Neutral Total

Capuchin to Squirrel

MonkeyCapuchin to Squirrel

monkey

then reversed

14

2

10

8

13

10

37

20

Squirrel monkey to

capuchinSquirrel monkey

to capuchin

then reversed

13

4

4

9

4

6

21

19

In39 hrs

of mixed

species observations

97

interspecific interactions were recorded.

l h l


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EnclosureChange Analysis

7&8 Collect and Analyse the data


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7&8. Collectand Analyse the data

Collect data and create a simpleactivity budget

for the

group of chimps.

Or

Collect thedata and create a

simple activity

budgetfor thecapuchin Popeye.

Or

Collect thedata and create asimple activity

budgetfrom thedesign anethogram video.

A i i B d


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Activity Budget

Activity Budget is a graph ortablethat shows

how

much time

an animal spends in various

activities such as,sleeping, eating,climbing etc.

eating

sleeping

moving

playing

9 D l i


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9.Drawconclusions

Hypothesis1Squirrelmonkeys will choosetoassociatewith capuchins, however the

capuchins will bedominant over the

squirrel

monkeys.

Correct Squirrelmonkeysactively choose to

associate

with capuchins. CorrectCapuchins did appearto bethedominant of thetwo species(in mostcases).

Conclusions


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Conclusions

Hypothesis 2

Achange

in the

enclosuredesign will haveapositive

effecton the

relationship between

the twospecies.

CorrectThe

frequency

of interaction

betweenthespeciesstayedthesame

howeverthe

proportion of positive

interactionsincreased andnegativeones

decreased.

scientific methods in behavior (week 3)

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