Animals in Our Own Backyard: The Science of Observing Behavior
Monday, May 24 – Friday, July 2, 2011
1:00 – 4:10 Tuesdays and Thursdays
Room: TBA
Instructor:
Michele Wan
msw2111@columbia.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 4:15-5:15 PM and by appointment
Office: 360 Engineering Terrace
Course description:
This course is a hands-on introduction to the science of studying animal behavior. Topics include
feeding, caching, learning, interspecific cooperation, and animal personality. Field trips and
follow-up activities provide students with the opportunity to apply what they have learned in
course readings and lectures. In addition, students will conduct an independent animal behavior
project involving the formulation of a research question, observation of local animals, data
analysis, and reporting of results in written and oral format. This is an active learning course that
requires the full participation of students both in and out of the classroom.
Prerequisite:
• PSYC W1010 (or another course that satisfies the Group II requirement in psychology), a
college-level biology course, or instructor permission.
• Students do not need to know how to perform statistical tests. However, they should
have a basic understanding of mean and standard deviation, as well as the ability to
interpret and create graphs and tables.
Learning objectives:
• Students will be able to identify and utilize local resources for exploring animal behavior.
• Students will be able to formulate a research question about animal behavior and carry
out an observational study.
• Students will be able to give an effective oral presentation about animal behavior that
clearly communicates a research question, methods, and results.
• Students will be able to write a scientific research paper about animal behavior that
clearly communicates theories, research questions, methods, results, and interpretations
of results.
Course requirements:
• Attendance is mandatory. You must arrive on time and must not depart early. If you
must miss a class due to a family emergency or religious holiday, you must contact the
instructor prior to the absence.
• Participation is mandatory. While some course material will be presented in lectures, this
course is highly interactive and requires your participation both in and out of the
classroom. Some examples of interactive class activities that you will be asked to
participate in include discussion, peer review of assignments, brainstorming, one-minute
•
written reflections, analysis of case studies, and field trips. (You should also expect to
spend a substantial amount of time on readings and assignments outside of class time.)
Your grade will be determined as follows:
Assignment
There will be four short in-class assignments
and activities over the duration of the course
that are designed to assess your understanding
and application of readings. These miniassessments will not be announced in advance,
so please stay current with the readings.
Due date
Unannounced
Percent of total grade
20%
The remaining 80% of your grade will be based on a series of assignments that involve
investigating an animal behavior question in the real world. These assignments are outlined
below and will be discussed in greater detail in class.
Identify a nonhuman species that you are
interested in observing, two questions of
interest, and 2-3 observable behaviors that
will help you answer each question. You will
ultimately be investigating just one of your
questions, but I am asking for two so that you
have a backup plan.
Mini-presentation on your selected species
(3 slides)
Initial field notes, including qualitative and
quantitative data from at least 2 hours of
observation
Final field notes, including qualitative and
quantitative data from at least 6 additional
hours of observation
Write-up of introduction and methods about
your project in APA style. Include at least 8
references in the introduction (at least 6 must
be journal articles that you found on your
own). 5-6 double-spaced pages in Times 12 pt
font with 1” margins.
Write-up of results and discussion in APA
style. Include at least 2 figures (graphs or
tables). 3-4 double-spaced pages (NOT
including figures) in Times 12 pt font with 1”
margins.
10-minute project presentations (8 slides
maximum)
Due in class
Thursday, June 2
10%
Due in class
Tuesday, June 7
Due in class
Thursday, June 9
5%
Due in class
Tuesday, June 21
15%
Due in class
Thurs., June 23
15%
Due in class
Tuesday, June 28
15%
Due in class
Thurs., June 30
15%
5%
Required readings:
• Book (available on reserve in the Geology Library in 601 Schermerhorn)
o Martin, P., & Bateson, P. (2007). Measuring Behavior: An Introductory Guide
(3rd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Articles (downloadable from Columbia Libraries website; we will discuss how to find
articles on the first day of class)
o Amano, T., Ushiyama, K., Fujita, G., & Higuchi, H. (2006). Costs and benefits of
flocking in foraging white-fronted geese: Effects of resource depletion. Journal
of Zoology, 269, 111-115.
o Braem, M. & Mills, D. (2010). Factors affecting response of dogs to obedience
instruction: A field and experimental study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science,
125, 47-55.
o Clutton-Brock, T.H., O’Riain, M.J., Brotherton, P.N.M., Gaynor, D., Kansky, R.,
Griffin, A.S., & Manser, M. (1999). Selfish sentinels in cooperative mammals.
Science, 284, 1640-1644.
o Galef, B.G., & Buckley, L.L. (1996). Use of foraging trails by Norway rats.
Animal Behaviour, 51, 765-771.
o Hare, B., & Tomasello, M. (2005) Human-like social skills in dogs? Trends in
Cognitive Sciences, 9, 439-444.
o Jacobs, L.F., & Liman, E.R.. (1991). Grey squirrels remember the locations of
buried nuts. Animal Behaviour, 41, 103-110.
o Lima, S.L., Valone, T.J., & Caraco, T. (1985). Foraging-efficiency-predation-risk
trade-off in the grey squirrel. Animal Behaviour, 33, 155-165.
o Naderi, S., Miklósi, Á., Dóka, A., & Csányi, V. (2001). Co-operative interactions
between blind persons and their dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 74, 5980.
o Sinn, D.L., Gosling, S.D., & Moltschaniwskyi, N.A. (2008). Development of
shy/bold behaviour in squid: Context-specific phenotypes associated with
developmental plasticity. Animal Behaviour, 75, 433-442.
Schedule:
Date
Readings Due
Tues., May 24
n/a
Written
Assignments Due
n/a
Topic
Introduction
• Who am I?
• Who are you?
(Introduce one another)
• The syllabus
o Finding journal
articles
• Local resources
o Animals in New
York City
o Animals on campus
(Outdoors activity:
Make a list of all the
Thurs., May 26
•
•
Tues., May 31
•
Thurs., June 2
•
•
Tues., June 7
•
•
Thurs., June 9
•
Martin & Bateson,
Chapters 1-3
(Introduction, Think
before you measure,
Getting started)
Clutton-Brock et al.
(1999).
n/a
Martin & Bateson,
Chapters 4-6
(Individuals and
groups, Recording
methods, The
recording medium)
Amano et al. (2006).
Martin & Bateson,
Chapters 7-8 (How
good are your
measures?; How
good is your
research design?)
n/a
Martin & Bateson,
Chapter 9 (Statistical
analysis)
Galef & Buckley.
(1996).
Martin & Bateson,
Chapters 10-11
(Analyzing specific
aspects of behavior,
Interpreting and
presenting findings)
animals that you can
find in 30 minutes)
• Approaches to the
study of animal
behavior
The scientific method and
animal behavior
• Considerations in
designing and
performing an animal
behavior study
• Ethograms
• Time budgets
• Sampling behavior
Field trip preparation
• Behavior of animals in
groups
Exploring local resources and
observing animal behavior
• Field trip: Central Park
Zoo (meet there)
• Complete worksheet
Identify a non-human
species that you are
interested in
observing, two
questions of interest,
and 2-3 observable
behaviors that will
help you answer each
question.
Mini-presentation
about the species you
selected
Discussion of field trip
Scientific writing
• Reading and writing
animal behavior papers
o APA style
o Elements of a good
paper
o Evaluate papers with
rubric
Mini-presentations
Project check-in
Field trip preparation
• Foraging in rats
Initial field notes,
including qualitative
and quantitative data
from at least 2 hours
of observation
Field trip: Subway (rat
foraging); first half of class;
meet there
Intro to data analysis (use rat
data)
Tues., June 14
•
•
Lima et al. (1985).
Jacobs & Liman.
(1991).
Recommended:
Show me a list of
references that you
plan on using in your
paper.
Project check-in
Data analysis and reporting
(continued from last week)
Scientific presentations
• Elements of a good
scientific presentation
• Evaluate sample
presentations with
rubric
Field trip preparation
• Feeding and caching in
squirrels
Thurs., June 16
•
Naderi et al. (2001).
n/a
Tues., June 21
•
Braem & Mills.
(2010).
Hare & Tomasello.
(2005).
Final field notes,
including qualitative
and quantitative data
from at least 6
additional hours of
observation.
Field trip: park (squirrel
caching); first half of class;
meet there
Analyze and present data
Project check-in
Field trip preparation
• Learning
• The dog-human
relationship
•
Sinn et al. (2008).
Recommended: Show
me two graphs or
tables that you will
use in the results
section of your paper.
Write-up of
introduction and
methods for
independent project
Thurs., June 23
•
Tues., June 28
n/a
Write-up of results
and discussion for
independent project
Thurs., June 30
n/a
10 min project
presentations (8
slides maximum)
Field trip: Riverside Park
(dogs); first half of class; meet
there
Data analysis and
interpretation
Check-in about presentations
Animal personality
Catch-up
Presentations
Final thoughts
Policies:
• Drafts: You are encouraged to use your instructor, your classmates, and University
resources, such as the Writing Center, for the review of drafts of your work. I will
•
•
•
•
•
•
provide comments on drafts if I receive them a week in advance of the due date. Doovers of assignments (e.g. rewrites) are not permitted after the due date.
No extra credit: There will be no opportunities for extra credit.
Late assignments: Ten points will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late.
Assignments must be submitted in-person and in class.
Academic honesty: All work must be your own. In case of cheating or plagiarism, the
penalty will be a grade of “F” in the course. For written work, keep your preparation
materials, and be prepared to explain your writing. Any unacknowledged use of the
words, ideas, insights, or the original research of another is strictly prohibited. Cheating
includes, but is not confined to passing off someone else’s work as your own, failing to
use proper citations, and failing to use quotation marks around others’ verbatim remarks.
As a condition of taking this course, all required papers may be subject to submission for
textual similarity review to turnitin.com or a similar service for the detection of
plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the
turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such
papers.
Accommodations for students with disabilities: Students requesting an accommodation
must contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Under Columbia Unviersity
policy, only students who are registered with the Office of Disability Services may
request academic accommodations.
Cell phones and laptops: Cell phones are a significant distraction and must be placed on
vibrate or turned off prior to coming to class. If you are expecting an emergency call,
you must make arrangements with the instructor prior to class. Laptops may only be used
for taking notes. Do not answer phones, send text messages or email, or browse the
Internet during class. Students who repeatedly violate this policy will be dropped from
the class.
Disruptive behavior: Any behavior that adversely affects the normal educational
functioning or the professional standards of the class will result in failure in the course.
Hints on Achieving Success in This Course
(to be discussed in more detail in class):
o Come to class (and field trips).
o Complete the assigned reading before class starts.
o Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute to do your assignments. You will need at
least several sessions to complete your behavioral observations. Schedule them into your
calendar in advance. I will be looking for evidence of detailed observation in the field
(the amount of data, as well as the level of detail in the data). Please do not make up your
data and field notes.
o Take your time when coming up with the question you want to study and the behaviors
you want to observe. This is probably the most important part of the process. Be specific
about the behaviors you want to observe.
o Start gathering references from course readings and scientific journals as soon as you’ve
identified your animal behavior question.
o Make sure that the references you include in your paper are relevant to the question you
are asking, and explain how they relate to your question.
o Include sufficient detail about your methods in your paper so that others could replicate
your project if they wanted to.
o While you do not need to include statistical tests in your results, do include a detailed
written analysis, as well as graphs and/or tables that indicate the trend of your findings.
o The discussion in your paper should include an answer to your question based on your
results, as well as ideas about how your findings fit in with previous research. It might
also include possible flaws of your methods, as well as additional questions for future
research.
o Make your presentation accessible and interesting to other students. Follow the same
format as your paper (include an introduction, methods, results, and conclusions), but in a
greatly summarized version. Visual aids, such as photos and videos, are highly
recommended.
Support services:
• Columbia University Writing Center
http://uwp.columbia.edu/writing-center/
• Barnard College Writing Center
o http://www.barnard.edu/writing/for_students.php?id=working_fellows_writing
• Tutoring Service
o http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/asp/tutoring/
• Health Services
o http://www.columbia.edu/cu/health
• Go Ask Alice! (answers to health questions)
o http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)
o http://www.health.columbia.edu/docs/about_us/cps.html
o For appointments, call 212-854-2878. For after-hours assistance, call 212-8549797 or contact Public Safety at 212-854-5555.
• Office of Disability Services
o http://www.health.columbia.edu/ods
• Office of the University Chaplain
o http://www.columbia.edu/cu/earl/ouc.html