Measuring Behaviour Flashcards
What are captive studies useful for?
Captive studies provide useful information where behaviors are not directly linked to ecological factors.
They are easier and less costly, and inform behavioral enrichment, humane housing, and breeding programs.
What does systematic sampling ensure?
Systematic sampling ensures that the study can be repeated by others in the same way.
This repeatability is crucial for validating research findings.
What does reproducibility allow in research?
Reproducibility allows for testing of the results found.
If the result is robust, the same finding should be achieved when the study is reproduced.
What are the types of measures in behavioral studies?
Latency, Frequency, Duration (mean, total, proportion), Intensity
What is scan sampling?
A method where the whole group of animals/participants is rapidly scanned at regular intervals to record behavior according to defined categories.
Categories include locomotion, foraging, resting, grooming.
What are the advantages of scan sampling?
Provides a broad assessment of what animals are doing and is applicable only to recording behavior states.
What is focal animal sampling?
A method where the researcher selects one individual and records either all behaviors or specific behaviors of interest during a set period.
Individuals may be chosen randomly or based on specific criteria (age, sex, status).
What happens in focal animal sampling if the subject goes out of sight?
Recording must stop if the subject goes out of sight.
What is behavior sampling?
A method where one or a few specific behaviors of interest are selected and every occurrence is recorded.
Useful for determining the rate or frequency of behavioral events.
What are the recording rules for continuous recording?
Aims to provide an exact and faithful record of all behaviors during an observation session, measuring true frequencies and durations.
What is time sampling?
An observation method where the session is divided into short sample intervals, and behavior is recorded once in each time period.
