Do Now Take out animal behavior Cornell notes so I can check them. 2.What does it mean if an experiment is biased? What is bias?
Animal Behavior Instinctual Behavior – automatic processes triggered by specific stimuli. Present at birth Simple reflexes: Are not processed by brain, but spinal cord. Fixed action pattern: like reflexes but behavior is more complex. Imprinting: fast, irreversible learning (e.g. duck mom)
Animal Behavior Learned Behavior – Not present at birth. Habituation: repeated stimuli become ignored. Classical Conditioning: Pavlov’s dog (association of stimuli) Operant conditioning: trial and error learning based on positive or negative outcomes. Circadian Rhythms – Internal “clock” that can regulate behavior, i.e. activity cycle.
What about the Termites? What type of behavior is the trail-following behavior we studied in Reticulitermes flavipes? A.Simple reflex B.Fixed-action pattern C.Imprinting D.Habituation E.conditioning
Characteristics of Life Try this mnemonic: OGE 2 R 3 – Organization, growth, energy use, evolution, reproduction, response, regulation. Know ‘em… and what they mean!
Bias What is bias? – Prejudice that favors some data or results over others. Only using data that supports or refutes a hypothesis, not all available data. Rigging an experiment to produce desired results. Why is it a bad thing? – Science must have accurate data to work properly. What causes bias – Confirmation bias: see what you want to see. – Conflicts of interest: $$$ and awards / promotions, etc. – Poor experimental design
Experiments Heart rate Telepathy / ESP
How Science Fights Bias Peer review process – Trained scientists in the field review research papers to make sure proper controls were used, and the methods were fair. Repeatability – Others in the field will attempt to confirm finding, or add to them. If they can’t, then the original research will be discredited.
Pharmaceutical Company Bias Why Mr. Tomasino is a teacher, and not working for “the man.” Avandia article: ongoing lawsuits in the news Pfizer – Largest guilty plea ever (BILLION$$$) – Nigeria ethical issues
Homework Complete Bias worksheet.