Sacramento City College
Animal Behavior
PSY 314 Section:12345
Winter-Spring-Fall 2014
Lecture: RHS 271
Time: T-Th 1:00-2:20AM
Instructor: Chris T. Tromborg, Ph.D.
Davis Academic Center Office & Hours: DAC 128: Time: M-W: 9:30-10:30
Main Campus Office & Hours : RHS 286 Time: T-Th: 4:00-5:30
Friday: (Davis Academic Center ) Office: DAC 128 Time: 9:00-11:00 by appointment
Phone: SAC 1-916-558-2514
E-Mail: Tromboc@scc.losrios.edu
DAC 1-916-558-2514
Website: christromborg.com
Course Assistant: Hal Markowitz
E-Mail: hallmark@sfsu.edu
Textbook: Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach (9th Edition)
by John Alcock
-Sinauer: 2009- ISBN: 978-0-878-93-225-2
Course Description and Objectives
Animal Behavior is a 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 the future prospects for positive interactions
between humans and other animals.
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.
Conduct a systematic observation of animal behavior, collect, analyze, interpret, and
report results.
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.
Please feel free to peruse the bulletin board adjacent to RHS 286 for some current topics in
animal behavior and conservation.
Evaluation Procedures
Students are evaluated on the basis of their performance on exams, participation in class
discussion, 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-E).
The student's lowest exam score from the second, third, or 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.
Students may desire to receive 20% of their grade by completing an alternate assignment,
in lieu of one exam, either in the form of a literature review on some aspect of animal behavior
or on a particular animal, an observational research project, or a service learning exercise. The
research exercise involves the observation of some species of nonhuman animal in a venue that
the student has some regular access to. The student will select a species, perform bibliographic
research on this species, select a study method, observe behavior and collect data, evaluate and
interpret the resulting data, and present these either in oral form to the class or in written form to
the professor.
The literature review involves the student selecting either a specific species or some
particular aspect of animal behavior, performing a literature review of this topic using all
available data bases, and then preparing their findings either in oral form to be presented to the
class or in written form to be presented to the professor.
The service learning option involves students familiarizing themselves with the concept
of service learning, selecting a topic and exploring it bibliographically, and then performing a
volunteer service within some venue wherein humans and nonhumans interact. The service must
be in a form which enriches the experiences of either humans or nonhumans, or which advances
the educational mission of schools, museums, or zoos.
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. Please
activate your S.C.C. G-mail account as soon as possible so that we can communicate with you on
a regular basis.
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 to minimize disturbing 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 on exams 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 the semester and concludes at the end of the semester. The
last day of instruction occurs one week prior to the end of the semester. The final exam period
extends from the end of instruction to the end of the semester. The last day to drop with a refund
occurs one week after the semester begins: the last day to drop without notation occurs two
weeks after the beginning of the semester: the last day to petition for “pass/no-pass” grading
occurs one month after the semester begins: and the last day to drop with a "W" notation on your
record occurs 11 weeks after the beginning of the semester.
The following are holidays: Labor Day Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Recess, Martin Luther
King's Day, Washington's Day, Lincoln's Day, Spring Recess, and Independence Day.
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
Week Two: 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
Week Three: 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
Week Four: Observing and Recording Animal Behavior
Selecting a species and a Location
Sampling Methods and Recording Techniques
Archival Research: Compiling References
Analyzing Animal Behavior: Mean, Median, and Mode
Preparing and Presenting your findings
Zoo Research Supplement
Exam One
Week Five: Animal Senses
Olfaction, Vision, Audition, and extrasensory perception
The control of behavior: Neural mechanisms
Ch. 4 pg. 107
Week Six: Animal Communication
Principles of Communication
Natural Communication Systems
The evolution of communication
Ch. 9 pg. 287
Week Seven: Communication Between Humans and Other Animals
Human/Animal Communication Research: Is there language in nonhumans?
Research with Nonhuman Primates and Marine Mammals
The organization of behavior: Neurons and hormones
Ch. 5 pg. 149
Exam Two
Week Eight: Animal Cognition
A Question of Animal Awareness
Problem Solving in primates, marine mammals, and parrots
Behavioral adaptations for survival
Ch. 6 pg. 183
Exam Two
Week Nine: Animal Learning, Motivation, and Cognition
Instincts, Reflexes, and Fixed Action Patterns
Animal Training: Learning and Motivation
Basic concepts in classical and operant conditioning
Reinforcement, Punishment, Shaping, and Chaining
The misbehavior of organisms
Week Ten: Animals as Competitors
Contemporary Controversies Involving Animals
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
Exam Three
Week Eleven: 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
Week Twelve: Animals in Service and Therapy
Service Animals: Hearing and Guide Dogs and Other 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
Week Thirteen: 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
Week Fourteen: Inside the Animal Mind
Take-Home Exam Four
Week Fifteen: Wild Animals in Captivity
A short history of Zoos
Traditional Zoos: Recreation & Entertainment; Modern Zoos: Conservation & Education
The Modern Ark: Conservators of Nature
The Behavior of Captive wild Animals
Behavioral Enrichment in the Zoo
The evolution of mating systems
Ch. 11. pg. 379
Week Sixteen: Conservation Biology and Ethics
Humans as Consumers of Wildlife
The Future of Megavertebrates
Conservation Biology and Bioethics
Animal Behavior and Conservation Biology
Evolutionary, Ecological, and Environmental Psychology
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 Seventeen: Final Exam Period! Period
Exam Five
We reserve the right to alter schedules as the course proceeds...
Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought
www.scc.losrios.edu ~ www.christromborg.com
Learning Resource Center Support:
http://pilot.scc.losrios.edu/PILOT
http://www.scc.losrios.edu/~library/online-workshops
http://www.scc.losrios.edu/~library/web-research-tutorial