Animal BehaviorBiology 342 Fall 07 |
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Week 2. Observation Method sSeptember 4th Guest lecture David Shepherdson.David Shepherdson is the Conservation Program Scientist at the Oregon Zoo. He focuses on environmental enrichment for zoo animals, the role of the zoo in conservation programs and is also involved in the science education goal of the zoo. David is currently an associate editor for the journal Zoo Biology, and is adjunct faculty at Portland State University. He will give a seminar style lecture on the current research goals of the Oregon Zoo, and include discussion on methods in animal behavior research. read: (if you didn't already read it with lab last week) Michael, RS (2002) Inquiry & Scientific Method September 6th: Learned vs. Innate:While the idea of debating "Nature vs. Nurture" is long passed, our understanding of the the complex interaction of genes and experience to produce the observed phenotype is far from complete. The species specific songs of birds are acquired in very different ways, hence we can draw examples that demonstrate the full spectrum for the relative contribution of nature and environment. For a more mechanistic understanding these interactions we will turn to other model organisms in the upcoming weeks. read: The experimental design and characteristics of your data dictate the appropriate
statistical tests. In animal behavior experiments we often rely on exposure
of a subject to a visual, auditory, or social stimulus. The appropriate
design, samples size and controls are important, but difficult, to consider.
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