Lecture 7 Flashcards
What is the next step you’d take after coming up with a question and preliminary observations (pilot)?
A hypotheses and predictions
What would you do after developing a hypotheses and predictions?
Choose variables and catergories
What does the main question do?
Formulates a problem that you want to investigate
What are sampling rules (who to observe)?
-Ad libitum
-Focal
-Scan
-Behaviour sampling
What are recording rules (when to observe)?
-Continuous recording
-Instantaneous sampling
What kind of question would you want to avoid and what kind would you aim for?
You would want to avoid a broad question (ex. what does this animal do?). You’d want one based on existing knowledge and theory (ex. Do big males acquire more mates than small males?)
What can influence the question you choose?
-Previous knowledge
-Interests and observations made in the course of other research
-Priorities of the group in which you work
What can you use to make observations?
-Sensorial resources (audition, smell, vision)
-Equipment
What are direct observations?
When an observation is made the moment the behaviour happens
What are two ways direct observations can be made?
-Invasive
-Non-invasive
What is the problem with invasive observations?
The animal perceives the observer, which can change the behavioural expression of the animal
What are two ways invasive observations can be reduced?
-Habituation
-Camouflage
How can non-invasive DIRECT observations be carried out?
Equipment (cameras, microphones, GPS, radio telemetry, sensors)
How can non-invasive INDIRECT observations be carried out?
Consequences of the behaviour (footprints, tracks, feces, nests, etc)
What is the benefit of non-invasive observations?
Does not change the behavioural expression of the animal
What is the purpose of preliminary observations?
To understand and describe both the subjects and the behaviour you intend to measure
Why are preliminary observations important?
-Provides raw material for formulating questions and hypothesis
-Choosing right methods of measurement/recording
-Habituation of the animals to the observer
-Training the observer
What is the purpose of the hypothesis?
To find the best explanation(s) for the question
The more _________ the predictions are, the ______ it usually is to distinguish empirically between competing hypotheses.
Specific; easier
What is the purpose of an objective?
Expresses the intention or an aspiration of the study; what you hope to achieve at the end of the study
When describing behaviour, what is the structure?
the appearance, physical form or temporal patterning of the behaviour
When describing behaviour, what are the consequences?
The effects of the subject’s behaviour on the environment, other individuals, or itself
What is spatial relation?
The subject’s position or orientation relative to something or someone (another animal, human, etc)
What kind of categories would you want to choose?
-Enough categories to describe the behaviour in detail
-Ones that summarize as much relevant info as possible about the behaviour
-Independent categories of one another
What is an ethogram?
Descriptions of the main types of behaviour pattern that typify the species
What is a flaw with an ethogram?
Not all members of a species behave in the same “species-typical” way
Your categories should be C_______, C_________, and U___________
Clear, comprehensive, unambiguous
When are operational definitions commonly used?
When measuring the consequences of a behaviour