Contents 1
Week 1: Introduction to the biological basis of behavior. 4
Types of publications 4
Ethics 5
Utilitarianism 5
Veil of Ignorance 5
Week 2: Brief history, Tinbergen's 'why' questions. 6
Knowledge of animal behavior before civilisation 6
Modern interests in animal behavior 6
History of the scientific study of animal behaviour 7
Comparatie psychology and Ethology 8
Modern Offshoots 9
Tinbergen’s Four Why Questions 10
Textbook Questions 11
Week 3: Evolution, Darwin, natural selection, applications. 12
Microevolution: processes that change the composition of populations of organisms. Can be
both adaptive and non-adaptive. 12
Evolution and Natural Selection 12
Darwin’s Journey on the HMS Beagle 13
Malthus, Wallace, Species Book 13
Imperfections in Natural Selection 14
Microevolution 14
Questions 16
Week 4: Evolution on a small and large scale. 17
Macroevolution 17
Geography and macroevolution 18
Evolution of behaviour 19
Homology and Analogy 20
Experimental Evolution 21
Memes 21
Textbook Questions 22
Week 5: Macroevolution, genetics, epigenetics and behavioural transmission. 23
Genes and RNA 23
Epigenetic Mechanism 25
Text Book Questions 27
Week 6: Neuroscience 28
Evolution of the nervous system 28
1
, Circadian Rhythm 28
Cnidaria: jellyfish, sea anemone, hydra 29
Bilaterians 29
Neurophysiology 31
Action potential 31
Synapse 33
Neuroanatomy 35
Peripheral Nervous System 35
Central nervous system 35
Textbook Questions 37
Week 7: Perception 41
Transduction 41
Umwelt 41
Human Senses 43
Perception 48
Textbook Questions 53
Week 8: Learning 56
Non-associative learning 56
Associative learning 57
Non-equipotentiality in learning 60
Latent learning 61
Social/observational learning 61
Behavioural modification 62
Neuroprosthetics 63
Textbook Questions 64
Week 9-10: Animal behaviour. 67
Basic Units of Action 67
Neuroethology 69
Genes, instincts and behaviour 71
Classic ethology 72
Spatial cognition 73
Communication 74
Functions of signals 75
Sexual selection 77
Eusociality 80
Textbook Questions 81
Week 11-12: Evolution of human behaviour. 85
Bipedalism 85
Human brain evolution 87
2
,Tenets of evolutionary psychology 88
Human Mating 89
Short term mating strategy 89
Role of parents 90
Family relations and conflict 91
Cooperative breeding: pusing brain and cognition 92
Need to belong 93
Behaviour economic games 95
Ultimatum: 95
Tragedy of the commons 96
Sociality, parochialism and cooperation 96
Gene-culture co-evolution 96
Darwinian Medicine 98
Anxiety 98
Guns, germs and steel: rise of civilisation 103
3
, Week 1: Introduction to the biological basis of behavior.
What is peer review, and what is it used for in science?
Peer review is when a scientist submits a paper for review by other scientists in that field of
research, who then submit comments about the proposed paper.
It is used to ensure research is original and uses valid science, and is good enough to be
funded.
Types of publications
1. Primary literature or empirical paper
- presents original research published for the first time
- clues: methods, results, stats, original
- words such as I/we measured, observed, collected, etc.
2. Secondary literature or review paper
- summarizes past, already published research
- with the main focus on collating a body of research
Meta-analysis: a special review
- combines studies addressing the same question
- combines their effect or an overall effect
- examines total evidence by combining studies
3. Review and theoretical paper/opinion piece
- summarizes a body of research
- main focus on presenting a typical new view/theory/model
Ethics
Obvious Should’s Obvious Shouldn't Less Obvious Shouldn't
Report honest data Make up fake data Ignoring other people's
findings
Test one’s own ideas and Use ideas in someone else’s Cherry-picking data
hypotheses grant proposal or paper
Report one's own data Steal someone else's data Stopping collecting data
Write one's own paper Copy someone else’s writing Not randomizing/blind trials
● Wild justice: Animals have a sense of what is right and wrong in interactions with one
another. Animals have morality.
4
Week 1: Introduction to the biological basis of behavior. 4
Types of publications 4
Ethics 5
Utilitarianism 5
Veil of Ignorance 5
Week 2: Brief history, Tinbergen's 'why' questions. 6
Knowledge of animal behavior before civilisation 6
Modern interests in animal behavior 6
History of the scientific study of animal behaviour 7
Comparatie psychology and Ethology 8
Modern Offshoots 9
Tinbergen’s Four Why Questions 10
Textbook Questions 11
Week 3: Evolution, Darwin, natural selection, applications. 12
Microevolution: processes that change the composition of populations of organisms. Can be
both adaptive and non-adaptive. 12
Evolution and Natural Selection 12
Darwin’s Journey on the HMS Beagle 13
Malthus, Wallace, Species Book 13
Imperfections in Natural Selection 14
Microevolution 14
Questions 16
Week 4: Evolution on a small and large scale. 17
Macroevolution 17
Geography and macroevolution 18
Evolution of behaviour 19
Homology and Analogy 20
Experimental Evolution 21
Memes 21
Textbook Questions 22
Week 5: Macroevolution, genetics, epigenetics and behavioural transmission. 23
Genes and RNA 23
Epigenetic Mechanism 25
Text Book Questions 27
Week 6: Neuroscience 28
Evolution of the nervous system 28
1
, Circadian Rhythm 28
Cnidaria: jellyfish, sea anemone, hydra 29
Bilaterians 29
Neurophysiology 31
Action potential 31
Synapse 33
Neuroanatomy 35
Peripheral Nervous System 35
Central nervous system 35
Textbook Questions 37
Week 7: Perception 41
Transduction 41
Umwelt 41
Human Senses 43
Perception 48
Textbook Questions 53
Week 8: Learning 56
Non-associative learning 56
Associative learning 57
Non-equipotentiality in learning 60
Latent learning 61
Social/observational learning 61
Behavioural modification 62
Neuroprosthetics 63
Textbook Questions 64
Week 9-10: Animal behaviour. 67
Basic Units of Action 67
Neuroethology 69
Genes, instincts and behaviour 71
Classic ethology 72
Spatial cognition 73
Communication 74
Functions of signals 75
Sexual selection 77
Eusociality 80
Textbook Questions 81
Week 11-12: Evolution of human behaviour. 85
Bipedalism 85
Human brain evolution 87
2
,Tenets of evolutionary psychology 88
Human Mating 89
Short term mating strategy 89
Role of parents 90
Family relations and conflict 91
Cooperative breeding: pusing brain and cognition 92
Need to belong 93
Behaviour economic games 95
Ultimatum: 95
Tragedy of the commons 96
Sociality, parochialism and cooperation 96
Gene-culture co-evolution 96
Darwinian Medicine 98
Anxiety 98
Guns, germs and steel: rise of civilisation 103
3
, Week 1: Introduction to the biological basis of behavior.
What is peer review, and what is it used for in science?
Peer review is when a scientist submits a paper for review by other scientists in that field of
research, who then submit comments about the proposed paper.
It is used to ensure research is original and uses valid science, and is good enough to be
funded.
Types of publications
1. Primary literature or empirical paper
- presents original research published for the first time
- clues: methods, results, stats, original
- words such as I/we measured, observed, collected, etc.
2. Secondary literature or review paper
- summarizes past, already published research
- with the main focus on collating a body of research
Meta-analysis: a special review
- combines studies addressing the same question
- combines their effect or an overall effect
- examines total evidence by combining studies
3. Review and theoretical paper/opinion piece
- summarizes a body of research
- main focus on presenting a typical new view/theory/model
Ethics
Obvious Should’s Obvious Shouldn't Less Obvious Shouldn't
Report honest data Make up fake data Ignoring other people's
findings
Test one’s own ideas and Use ideas in someone else’s Cherry-picking data
hypotheses grant proposal or paper
Report one's own data Steal someone else's data Stopping collecting data
Write one's own paper Copy someone else’s writing Not randomizing/blind trials
● Wild justice: Animals have a sense of what is right and wrong in interactions with one
another. Animals have morality.
4
