1. Tinbergen's Behavior Model in Depth
Environment
Organism

2. Measuring Animal Behavior
Observing vs. Watching
The Detection Problem
The observability of different subjects
The problem of observer differences
Identification of subjects

3. Measuring Animal Behavior, cntd.
Identification and description of action patterns (ethograms, more later) and behavioral relics.
Quantification (mensuration) - how do we
measure behaviors? Not always possible.

4. Observer Sampling Techniques
ad libitum (L. "at pleasure")
Focal-animal sampling
Scan (instantaneous) sampling
One-zero sampling

5. Units of Behavior Single muscle contractions Action Patterns
multiple contractions into a
functional sequence
stereotyped
species-typical
Complex Patterns
consist of many linked action patterns
What is the appropriate level to note? -- depends on the goals of the study.

6. Ethograms Catalog of behaviors and postures (ie., of action patterns)
Name (short, descriptive, but “non -judgmental”)
Description (only relevant ones need be included)
Form
Velocity
Duration
Amplitude
Orientation
Drawings

7. Examples of Descriptive Drawings

8. Further Examples
Notice that this behavior actually consists of several action patterns.
Whether to catagorize them as separate or together depends in large part on whether one reliably follows another.

9. Kinematic Diagrams
Graphs that can be used to understand likely linkages
of action patterns.

10. Making a Kinematic Diagram
Abbreviations for Behaviors
Behavior Sequence
(note that time is not part of this description)

11. Making a Kinematic Diagram: Sequence Data
Primary Transition Matrix:

12. Making a Kinematic Diagram: Calculation of transition frequencies
Our primary transition matrix
Calculations of transition frequencies for the first two behaviors

13. Making a Kinematic Diagram Adding the Behaviors
Making the diagram

14. Making a Kinematic Diagram: Adding More Transitions

15. The Completed Diagram

16. Time Budgets
Often involve “behaviors” -- groups of action patterns -- instead of action patterns.
Using one of the observational techniques mentioned earlier, measure the amount of time spent on a series of behaviors.

17. Experimental Data in Ethology
Lab vs. field experiments:
Control of extraneous variables vs. realism.
Natural Experiments: a situation where nature, unknown to the experimenter at the time, has already produced a situation that can be used as an experimental test of some hypothesis. Dangers?

18. Manipulated Variable Experiments in the Field
Beewolves -- parasitoids of bees

20. Betta ethogram data