observation

• behaviourism

  focuses on observable behaviour, environmental stimuli and conditioning

  (Pavlov & Skinner)
• ethology

  • Study of animal behaviour in natural settings focusing on instincts and evolution
  • Lorenz, Tinbergen Darwin
• What are the key concepts of Darwin's evolutionary theory related to behaviour?


  • Behaviours evolve through natural selection
  • Adaptive responses to environmental challenges
  • Increased chances of survival and reproduction
• konrad Lorenz

  • discovered that young animals, particularly birds, form attachments to the first moving object they see after birth - imprinting
• Nikolaas Tinbergen:

  • made key principles for observing behaviour
• Nikolaas Tinbergen:

  • created 4 questions for observing animals
  • Causation: What are the immediate causes of the behaviour (hormones)
  • Development: How does the behaviour develop over the lifetime of the animal?
  • Function: What is the evolutionary function or survival advantage of the behaviour?
  • Evolution: How did the behaviour evolve over time across species?
• why study animal behaviour
• What does the study of evolution and adaptation provide insight into?


  How animals adapt to changing environments and human impacts
• What is the purpose of enhancing animal welfare?


  To identify signs of stress or poor living conditions for better interventions
• How does improving captive animal management benefit animals in zoos and sanctuaries?


  By optimizing their care and ensuring their well-being
• What role does managing animal populations play in conservation efforts?


  It informs population control and rewilding projects for endangered species
• How does aiding human-animal interactions improve the treatment of companion animals?


  By improving training, handling, and domestication processes
• What are the key areas of focus in understanding evolution and adaptation?


  • Adaptation to changing environments
  • Impact of human activities on animals
• What are the benefits of enhancing animal welfare?


  • Identifying signs of stress
  • Improving living conditions
  • Enabling better interventions
• What does improving captive animal management involve?


  • Ensuring animal well-being
  • Optimizing care in zoos, sanctuaries, and research facilities
• How does managing animal populations contribute to conservation?


  • Informs conservation efforts
  • Aids in population control
  • Supports rewilding projects for endangered species
• What improvements can be made in human-animal interactions?

  • Enhanced training methods
  • Better handling techniques
  • Improved domestication processes
• innate behaviours

  • action/response that an animal is born with
  • its hardwired into the animals biology and are performed correctly first time
• causes of innate behaviour

  external environment - rain, heat, cold, other animals

  internal environment- hormones, disease, parasites
• what are the 2 types of behaviour?

  events

  states
• events

  •Instantaneous in nature, of short duration, marked by the onset / start of a behaviour. ​

  •Measured in terms of frequency (how often does it happen?).​

  •Counted rather than timed.
• states

  •Of a longer duration, activity which lasts a long time.​

  •Measured in terms of duration (how long does it last?)
• states

  • eating
  • walking
  • sitting
  • sleeping
  • foraging
• events

  • yawning
  • sneezing
  • testing food
  • stretching
  • waking up
• what are the 2 types of sampling?

  focal

  scan
• focal sampling

  • focusing on one individual for a specific time
  • Strength: Provides detailed data on an individual’s behaviour.
  • Limitation: May not represent group behaviour.
• Record the behaviour of all animals at regular intervals (30s or 1m).

  Strength: Provides a broad overview of group dynamics.

  Limitation: Less detailed for individuals