Unit name | Acquisition of Behaviour |
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Unit code | BIOL20103 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2C (weeks 13 - 18) |
Unit director | Dr. Bell |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None. We recommend that students also study BIOL20001 Quantitative Methods in Biology or a course that the Unit Director deems to have provided comparable training in statistics. (To confirm the latter, please contact the Unit Director before choosing this unit.) |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Aims:
An important objective of this unit is to examine the scientific evidence for sophisticated mental processing in non-human animals.
This unit focuses on proximate explanations for acquisition of behaviour in animal: inheritance and learning.
The unit begins by considering genetic influences on behaviour, and also interactions between genetic predisposition and individual experience in development of behaviour.
The unit will then explore the fundamental processes used by animals in acquiring their behaviour, including conditioning, recognition learning, classification and discrimination, following lectures address cognitive processes, and cover social learning, cultural transmission, tool use, spatial memory, counting, communication and language.
You will learn about the diversity in the processes of behaviour acquisition in the animal kingdom, and of the different methods used to study this scientifically. You will learn to adopt a rigorous scientific approach in investigating how animals acquire new behaviour. You will understand the principles of experimental design and hypothesis testing, statistical analysis of behavioural data including using computers for data handling, and will learn how to present and discuss behavioural results in an accurate and informative way.
Attendance at all practical classes is mandatory. Continuous Assessment 40% comprising 2 practical reports (20% each) End-of-session examination (60%).
Essential reading:
Additional reading: