University of California Davis
Advanced Animal Behavior PSY 122
Summer Session
Session 1 Section 1
Units: 4
CRN: 12345
Location: 184 Young Hall
Time: M-T-W-Th: 16:10-17:50
Instructor: Chris T. Tromborg, Ph.D.
Office: 268 F Young Hall
Time: M-T-W-Th: 13:20-14:00
Phone: UCD 1-530-754-8298
Voice 1-916-558-2514
e-mail: cttromborg@ucdavis.edu
Website: christromborg.com
Assistant: Donald H. Owings
Contact Information: dhowings@ucdavis.edu
Textbook: Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach (9th-10th Edition)
by John Alcock
-Sinauer: 2009-2013 ISBN: 978-0-878-93-225-2
Course Description and Objectives
Advanced Animal Behavior is a 4 unit, upper division course designed for everyone who
is interested in, or who has ever lived with and loved animals. In fact, those pursuing a variety of
careers will find this course interesting and useful.
The course consists of a broad survey of general topics and current research in the related
fields of animal behavior, animal cognition, animal communication, neuroethology, ethology,
comparative psychology, ecology, behavioral ecology, interactions between human and
nonhuman animals, and conservation biology. Topics addressed in this course include: The
philosophy of science; evolutionary concepts; history of the relationship between nonhuman
animals and humans; animal behavior; animal sensation; animal communication; communication
between humans and other animals; animals as competitors and resources; research animals and
bioethics, animals as companions; animals in therapy and service; animal contributions to human
health and well-being; animal learning and training; animals in zoos; the behavior of captive wild
animals; observing and analyzing behavior; and behavior and conservation biology.
Advanced Animal behavior will particularly interest those students wishing to explore
how scientists study communication between human beings and other species. The course
addresses issues underlying claims to alleged human uniqueness. It explores the bases of
comparisons used to establish the degrees of similarity and difference between humans and
nonhumans.
This course is designed to foster a better understanding of the relationship between
humans and nonhumans, nurture a respect for nonhuman animals, develop a better appreciation
for animal behavior, and to create an ethic which emphasizes a respect for all life as humans take
their place within the animal kingdom.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
> Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method and its application to the study
of animal behavior.
> Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between animal behavior and other areas
of science.
> Evaluate the merits and shortcomings of different approaches employed by animal
behavior scientists and the claims made for or against their findings.
> Employ critical thinking skills to critique reports presented in the popular press focused
on animal behavior, communication, and intelligence, especially claims made about
unusual or rare instances of animal behavior.
> Articulate and discriminate the evolutionary relationships underlying the rationale for
the use of animals in biomedical and neuroscientific research.
> Assess and explain how and why animals contribute to human health and well-being,
how and why they communicate with humans, and, finally, why animals can be
comforting as companions, social facilitators, and as animal assistants.
> Articulate an understanding of the common origins of all animals, their common
requirements for existence, and that humans are integral members of the animal kingdom.
> Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of human expansion on the probability of
the future survival of many species.
> Develop schemes for enriching the lives of others by introducing them to the world of
non-human animal interests and activities.
Evaluation Procedures
Students are evaluated on the basis of their performance on exams, participation in class
discussions, and attendance.
Students may earn up to a maximum of 200 points in this course. Grading is strictly
proportional: Grades are never curved. There will be five equally weighted 50 point exams.
Exams consist exclusively of objective test items (multiple choice: Scantron #882).
The student's lowest exam score from the second, third, and fourth exams, will be
disregarded when the final grades are calculated. Students are allowed up to 60 minutes to
complete exams. Exams must be taken when scheduled and can only be rescheduled for
compelling reasons authorized by the instructor.
This course also features a laboratory component. Students first must attend the
laboratory meetings every Thursday, and then develop a project. Students are expected to devote
about 10 hours of time outside of class to this component of the course. Students may be
expected to complete either an observational research project or a literature review to satisfy this
requirement.
The research exercise involves conducting a bibliographic review of some species of nonhuman animal, the observation and recording of its behavior, the evaluation and interpretation of
these data, and the presentation of the student's findings to the class .
The literature review option involves students researching either some aspect of animal
behavior or the behavior of a particular species bibliographically, and then preparing and
presenting the findings of their research to the class.
Responsibilities and Suggestions for Success
General Principles of Psychology (PSC 300) is a prerequisite for this course. Introductory
Biology would provide students with an extremely useful preparation for the course.
Attendance is important. You are encouraged to attend class: Students who do not attend
lecture during the first two weeks will be dropped from the course. Thereafter, students missing
more than nine hours of lecture may be dropped from the class. It is your responsibility to
officially obtain a withdrawal from this course. Failure to do so may result an a grade of F.
Please attempt to arrive to class on time and plan to remain for the duration of the lecture
to minimize disrupting others. Students should refrain from engaging in conversations unrelated
to course materials during lectures in order not to disturb others. Students are encouraged to
remain current in the readings in order to facilitate discussion in class. Prepared students are able
to offer informed questions that can clarify points of confusion for themselves and others.
You are expected to bring course related materials to class and to participate in class
discussion. Failure to participate will be reflected in your performance on exams and in your
final grade. Outside of class, students should attempt to work together on course materials.
Students must take exams when they are scheduled. A student missing an exam will
receive zero points and this score will be treated as their low exam score, which is not entered
into the consideration of the final grade.
Students missing two or more exams will automatically be dropped from the class.
Students must arrive within fifteen minutes of the beginning of the exam, after which the
exam is closed: You have up to 60 minutes to complete exams.
Cheating will be rewarded with a grade of F and subsequent disciplinary actions.
Students with learning or other disabilities should speak to the instructor, who will place
them in contact with support services. Please deactivate all communications devices during class.
Grading Scale
200-180=A; 179-160=B; 159-140=C; 139-120=D; 119 and below=F.
Tentative Course Schedule
The term begins at the beginning of summer and concludes at the end of summer. The final
exam is scheduled for the final day of instruction. July 4th is a national holiday.
We reserve the right to alter schedules as the term proceeds
Week One: Introduction to the course
History and Philosophy of Science
Why study animal behavior?
Common Origins
An evolutionary approach to animal behavior
Ch. 1 pg. 1
The Evolution of Animals and Animal Behavior
Natural, Sexual, and Artificial Selection
Divergence, Convergence, Analogy, and Homology
Understanding the proximate and ultimate causes of bird song
Ch. 2 pg. 29
The history of humans and other animals
Humans versus Nonhumans; Animals as Competitors
Humans as Prey; Animals as Resources; Domestication
The development of behavior
Ch. 3 pg. 63
Lab: Introduction to Animal Behavior Research: An Overview
Week Two: Exam One
Introduction to Nervous and Endocrine systems
Animal Senses
Olfaction, Vision, Audition, and extrasensory perception
The control of behavior: Neural mechanisms
Ch. 4 pg. 107
Lab: Observing and Recording Animal Behavior
Selecting a Species and a Location
Sampling Methods and Recording Techniques
Archival Research: Compiling References
Zoo Research Supplement
Week Three: Exam Two
Animal Communication
Principles of Communication
Natural Communication Systems
The evolution of communication
Ch. 9 pg. 287
Communication Between Humans and Other Animals
Human/Animal Communication Research
Research with Nonhuman Primates and Marine Mammals
Language in Nonhumans?
The organization of behavior: Neurons and hormones
Ch. 5 pg. 149
Animal Cognition
A Question of Animal Awareness
Problem Solving in primates, marine mammals, and parrots
Behavioral adaptations for survival
Ch. 6 pg. 183
Lab: Analyzing Animal Behavior: Mean, Median, and Mode
Preparing and Presenting your findings
Zoo Research Supplement
Week Four: Exam Three
Animal Learning, Motivation, and Cognition
Instincts, Reflexes, and Fixed Action Patterns
Animal Training: Learning and Motivation
Basic concepts in classical and operant conditioning
Week Four: Learning continued
Reinforcement, Punishment, Shaping, and Chaining
The misbehavior of organisms
Animals as Competitors
Plagues of Animals; Animal Overpopulation
Competition for Resources and Predation on Humans
The evolution of feeding behavior
Ch. 7 pg. 219
Choosing where to live
Ch. 8 pg. 249
Human and Animal Interactions
Animals as Companions
Domestication of herbivorous and carnivorous Animals
The Human/Animal Bond
Animals as Members of the Family and as Social Facilitators
The Psychology of Pet Loss
The evolution of parental care
Ch. 12 pg. 421
The evolution of social behavior
Ch. 13 pg. 457
Animals in Service and Therapy
Service Animals: Hearing and Guide Dogs
Other Service Animals
Effects of Animals on Human Health and Well-Being: Therapy
Animals That Require Therapy; Behavioral Disorders in Pets
The evolution of reproductive behavior
Ch. 10 pg. 329
Lab: Inside the Animal Mind: Awareness, Intelligence, and Emotion
Week Five: Exam Four
Animals in Medicine and the Bioethics of Research
Phylogenetic Rationale for Animal Research
Animals as Models of Human Disease
Animal Welfare Versus Animal Rights
Refinement, Reduction, and Replacement
Animal Care and Use Protocols
Wild Animals in Captivity
A short history of Zoos
Traditional Zoos: Recreation and Entertainment
Week Five: Captivity and Behavior continued Modern Zoos: Conservation and Education
The Modern Ark: Conservators of Nature
Environmental Enrichment
The Behavior of Captive wild Animals
Behavioral Enrichment in the Zoo
The evolution of mating systems
Ch. 11. pg. 379July
Lab: Animal Behavior and Conservation: The State of The World's Wildlife
Week Six: Conservation Biology and Ethics
Humans as Consumers of Wildlife
The Future of Megavertebrates
Conservation Biology and Biioethics
Habitat Destruction
Trade in Endangered Species and its Regulation; CITES
Conservation Biology and Ethics
Evolutionary, Ecological, and Environmental Psychology
Conservation and Behavior
Nature: Evolutionary Roots of Competition
Nurture: Learning To Get Along
The evolution of social behavior
Ch. 13 pg. 457 255
The evolution of human behavior
Ch. 14 pg. 507 Evolutionary Psychology Ch. 17 pg. 341
Comprehensive retrospective and review
Week Six: Exam Five!
Week Six: End of Summer Session One
-We reserve the right to alter schedules as the course proceedswww.myucdavis.edu ~ www.christromborg.com
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