Learning the Skills of Research:
Animal Behavior Exercises in the
Laboratory and Field
to accompany
Animal Behavior, Eleventh Edition
by Dustin Rubenstein and John Alcock
INSTRUCTOR MANUAL
Elizabeth M. Jakob and Margaret Hodge, Editors
Dr. Elizabeth M. Jakob Dr. Margaret Hodge
Department of Psychology The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts
Tobin Hall 715 University Parkway
University of Massachusetts Natchitoches, LA 71457
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
, 2
Table of Contents
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS ................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 4
SECTION 1: THE SKILLS OF RESEARCH .................................................................... 6
Part A: Observing Animal Behavior: Taking a Closer Look .......................................... 7
Exercise 1: Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: A Role-Playing Exercise in Observation .........................8
Exercise 2: Generating Ideas From Observations .....................................................................................11
Exercise 3: Watching, Operational Definitions, and Observing ...............................................................12
Exercise 4: Constructing an Ethogram: Cricket Behavior ........................................................................14
Part B: Collecting Behavioral Data ............................................................................... 16
Exercise 5: Candid Camera: Comparing and Contrasting Sampling Methods..........................................17
Exercise 6: The Collection of Behavioral Data.........................................................................................22
Exercise 7: Observing and Quantifying Behavior with JWatcher.............................................................26
Part C: Statistics and Experimental Design .................................................................. 27
Exercise 8: An Introduction to Descriptive and Nonparametric Statistics ...............................................28
Exercise 9: Multiple Approaches to Testing Hypotheses: An Example Using Isopod Moisture
Preferences................................................................................................................................................32
Exercise 10: Designing Testable Hypotheses ...........................................................................................43
Part D: Interpretation and Presentation ......................................................................... 47
Exercise 11: Scientific Writing .................................................................................................................48
Exercise 12: How to Give a Talk ..............................................................................................................49
Exercise 13: Participating in a Poster Session ..........................................................................................50
SECTION 2: PRACTICING RESEARCH SKILLS ........................................................ 51
Exercise 14: Neurotransmitters and Aggressive Behavior in Crayfish .....................................................52
Exercise 15: Path Integration in Humans ..................................................................................................55
Exercise 16: Number vs. Body Size of Offspring in Biparental Burying Beetles .....................................57
Exercise 17: Simulating the Evolution of Honest Signaling .....................................................................69
Exercise 18: Food & Fitness: A “First-Person” Simulation of Dragonfly Mating Ecology ......................74
, 3
Author Affiliations
Teresa C. Alvarez Science Department, St. Louis Community College, Forest Park
Paul T. Andreadis Department of Biology, Ohio State University at Newark
Mitchell B. Baker Biology Department, Queens College of CUNY
Daniel T. Blumstein Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
California Los Angeles
Paul E. Brunkow Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Janice C. Daniel Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los
Angeles
Marta J. Hersek (deceased) Department of Science and Engineering, Lowell High School
Margaret H. Hodge Biology Department, the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts
Elizabeth M. Jakob Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Susan W. Margulis Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation; Department of
Biology, Canisius College
Michael R. Maxwell Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, National University
Matthew H. Persons Department of Biology, Susquehanna University
Kimberley A. Phillips Department of Psychology, Trinity University
Adam H. Porter Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Larry N. Reinking (retired) Department of Biology, Millersville University
Catherine Hackett Renner Office of Analytic Support and Institutional Research, Grinnell
College
Michael J. Renner Department of Biology, Drake University
Lisa M. Shauver Akron Children’s Hospital
Derek S. Sikes University of Alaska Museum
Garrison Smith Science Department, Kent School
Paul V. Switzer Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University
Stephen T. Trumbo Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
Connecticut
R. Stimson Wilcox (retired) Biological Sciences Department, Binghamton University
David A. Zegers (retired) Department of Biology, Millersville University
, 4
Introduction
Both of us taught undergraduate animal behavior laboratory courses at very different
institutions (Bowling Green State University and the College of Wooster) and with very
different types of undergraduates. Over the years, our courses morphed so that they came
to emphasize independent research projects. We discovered that simply throwing students
into projects without preparation was not a recipe for success. Each of us experimented
with different ways to teach the process of science to undergraduates. We tapped into an
underground network of laboratory exercises developed by like-minded instructors at
other institutions: successful labs were passed around from person to person, and
modified and adapted. Finally, when one of us met someone at a conference who was
using a lab that she had developed several years before and that had been passed through
two other people, we decided to formally gather labs into a manual.
What differentiates this collection from others? Often, animal behavior laboratory
exercises are meant to illustrate particular phenomena, such as orientation, learning,
foraging, courtship, etc. While these are valuable in that they demonstrate principles
covered in the textbook or lecture, they can fail to stimulate interest in the students to go
beyond what is already “known.” In our experience, relying entirely on “cookbook”
laboratories can lead students to become preoccupied with following instructions.
Students focus on attempting to explain any deviation of their results from what was
expected, generally by critiquing their own methodology, at the expense of thinking
about the larger questions behind the experiment. Thus, students may miss out on the
really exciting aspect of science: discovering the unknown.
In contrast, the investigative approach allows students to learn content while also
learning about the process of science. The investigative approach can be used in many
science courses (see examples in the NSTA Press publication Practicing Science: The
Investigative Approach to College Teaching, 2001), but is especially appropriate for
animal behavior. Many fine animal behavior projects can be done with minimal
equipment (and tiny course budgets!) and in a short timeframe. Students can acquire the
necessary skills in short order. In addition, it’s quite possible for animal behavior students
to discover something new—several of our students initiated projects in our courses that
eventually resulted in published work. Thus, the animal behavior laboratory is an ideal
setting for giving students the opportunity to see a research project through from
beginning to end, perhaps for the only time in their academic career.
How to Use This Manual
The manual is divided into two sections. In Section 1, each exercise is designed to build a
particular research skill. We begin with the basics of watching animal behavior and
asking questions about it. Then we move on to data collection, followed by experimental
design and analysis. Finally, we present a section on data presentation. You should not
expect to use all the exercises presented here. There is intentional overlap among them so
that you may find exercises to suit your own teaching priorities, your students’ level of
preparation, and the constraints of time, equipment, and finances.
The second category of exercises provides examples to the students of how a
particular set of research questions is addressed. These are more like “traditional”
laboratory exercises, where the instructor delineates a potential set of questions on a
particular system. It gives the students a chance to practice a range of skills within the
Animal Behavior Exercises in the
Laboratory and Field
to accompany
Animal Behavior, Eleventh Edition
by Dustin Rubenstein and John Alcock
INSTRUCTOR MANUAL
Elizabeth M. Jakob and Margaret Hodge, Editors
Dr. Elizabeth M. Jakob Dr. Margaret Hodge
Department of Psychology The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts
Tobin Hall 715 University Parkway
University of Massachusetts Natchitoches, LA 71457
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
, 2
Table of Contents
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS ................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 4
SECTION 1: THE SKILLS OF RESEARCH .................................................................... 6
Part A: Observing Animal Behavior: Taking a Closer Look .......................................... 7
Exercise 1: Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: A Role-Playing Exercise in Observation .........................8
Exercise 2: Generating Ideas From Observations .....................................................................................11
Exercise 3: Watching, Operational Definitions, and Observing ...............................................................12
Exercise 4: Constructing an Ethogram: Cricket Behavior ........................................................................14
Part B: Collecting Behavioral Data ............................................................................... 16
Exercise 5: Candid Camera: Comparing and Contrasting Sampling Methods..........................................17
Exercise 6: The Collection of Behavioral Data.........................................................................................22
Exercise 7: Observing and Quantifying Behavior with JWatcher.............................................................26
Part C: Statistics and Experimental Design .................................................................. 27
Exercise 8: An Introduction to Descriptive and Nonparametric Statistics ...............................................28
Exercise 9: Multiple Approaches to Testing Hypotheses: An Example Using Isopod Moisture
Preferences................................................................................................................................................32
Exercise 10: Designing Testable Hypotheses ...........................................................................................43
Part D: Interpretation and Presentation ......................................................................... 47
Exercise 11: Scientific Writing .................................................................................................................48
Exercise 12: How to Give a Talk ..............................................................................................................49
Exercise 13: Participating in a Poster Session ..........................................................................................50
SECTION 2: PRACTICING RESEARCH SKILLS ........................................................ 51
Exercise 14: Neurotransmitters and Aggressive Behavior in Crayfish .....................................................52
Exercise 15: Path Integration in Humans ..................................................................................................55
Exercise 16: Number vs. Body Size of Offspring in Biparental Burying Beetles .....................................57
Exercise 17: Simulating the Evolution of Honest Signaling .....................................................................69
Exercise 18: Food & Fitness: A “First-Person” Simulation of Dragonfly Mating Ecology ......................74
, 3
Author Affiliations
Teresa C. Alvarez Science Department, St. Louis Community College, Forest Park
Paul T. Andreadis Department of Biology, Ohio State University at Newark
Mitchell B. Baker Biology Department, Queens College of CUNY
Daniel T. Blumstein Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
California Los Angeles
Paul E. Brunkow Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Janice C. Daniel Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los
Angeles
Marta J. Hersek (deceased) Department of Science and Engineering, Lowell High School
Margaret H. Hodge Biology Department, the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts
Elizabeth M. Jakob Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Susan W. Margulis Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation; Department of
Biology, Canisius College
Michael R. Maxwell Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, National University
Matthew H. Persons Department of Biology, Susquehanna University
Kimberley A. Phillips Department of Psychology, Trinity University
Adam H. Porter Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Larry N. Reinking (retired) Department of Biology, Millersville University
Catherine Hackett Renner Office of Analytic Support and Institutional Research, Grinnell
College
Michael J. Renner Department of Biology, Drake University
Lisa M. Shauver Akron Children’s Hospital
Derek S. Sikes University of Alaska Museum
Garrison Smith Science Department, Kent School
Paul V. Switzer Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University
Stephen T. Trumbo Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
Connecticut
R. Stimson Wilcox (retired) Biological Sciences Department, Binghamton University
David A. Zegers (retired) Department of Biology, Millersville University
, 4
Introduction
Both of us taught undergraduate animal behavior laboratory courses at very different
institutions (Bowling Green State University and the College of Wooster) and with very
different types of undergraduates. Over the years, our courses morphed so that they came
to emphasize independent research projects. We discovered that simply throwing students
into projects without preparation was not a recipe for success. Each of us experimented
with different ways to teach the process of science to undergraduates. We tapped into an
underground network of laboratory exercises developed by like-minded instructors at
other institutions: successful labs were passed around from person to person, and
modified and adapted. Finally, when one of us met someone at a conference who was
using a lab that she had developed several years before and that had been passed through
two other people, we decided to formally gather labs into a manual.
What differentiates this collection from others? Often, animal behavior laboratory
exercises are meant to illustrate particular phenomena, such as orientation, learning,
foraging, courtship, etc. While these are valuable in that they demonstrate principles
covered in the textbook or lecture, they can fail to stimulate interest in the students to go
beyond what is already “known.” In our experience, relying entirely on “cookbook”
laboratories can lead students to become preoccupied with following instructions.
Students focus on attempting to explain any deviation of their results from what was
expected, generally by critiquing their own methodology, at the expense of thinking
about the larger questions behind the experiment. Thus, students may miss out on the
really exciting aspect of science: discovering the unknown.
In contrast, the investigative approach allows students to learn content while also
learning about the process of science. The investigative approach can be used in many
science courses (see examples in the NSTA Press publication Practicing Science: The
Investigative Approach to College Teaching, 2001), but is especially appropriate for
animal behavior. Many fine animal behavior projects can be done with minimal
equipment (and tiny course budgets!) and in a short timeframe. Students can acquire the
necessary skills in short order. In addition, it’s quite possible for animal behavior students
to discover something new—several of our students initiated projects in our courses that
eventually resulted in published work. Thus, the animal behavior laboratory is an ideal
setting for giving students the opportunity to see a research project through from
beginning to end, perhaps for the only time in their academic career.
How to Use This Manual
The manual is divided into two sections. In Section 1, each exercise is designed to build a
particular research skill. We begin with the basics of watching animal behavior and
asking questions about it. Then we move on to data collection, followed by experimental
design and analysis. Finally, we present a section on data presentation. You should not
expect to use all the exercises presented here. There is intentional overlap among them so
that you may find exercises to suit your own teaching priorities, your students’ level of
preparation, and the constraints of time, equipment, and finances.
The second category of exercises provides examples to the students of how a
particular set of research questions is addressed. These are more like “traditional”
laboratory exercises, where the instructor delineates a potential set of questions on a
particular system. It gives the students a chance to practice a range of skills within the
