Analysis Of Animal Behavior Research Articles

A semiautomatic method for adding behavioral data to videotape records in combination with the Noldus Observer system.

The Observer 3.0 (Noldus, 1991) was used as the base for a time-saving fine analysis of animal behavior. A PC controlled a shuttlebox and a shuttlebox control unit. Learning behavior was recorded on videotapes by an S-VHS camcorder with vertical interval time code (VITC), which was used to generate an observational data file (ODF). The observational system was enhanced by automatically recorded status signals from the PC as event markers on the soundtrack of the videotape. These signals were used to subdivide a training session into numbered trials during generation of the ODF. They were later used for a PC-aided fine analysis of behavioral events, such as attention responses (AR) and orienting responses (OR) during shuttlebox learning. In this way, a large number of both automatically inserted PC event markers and manually inserted, key-defined behavioral events were registered and analyzed effectively in a semiautomatic fashion. The system is illustrated with an analysis of shuttle-box avoidance data from gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus).

Validation of a new system for the automatic registration of behaviour in mice and rats

A newly developed behaviour registration system, Laboratory Animal Behaviour Observation, Registration and Analysis System (LABORAS) for the automatic registration of different behavioural elements of mice and rats was validated. The LABORAS sensor platform records vibrations evoked by animal movements and the LABORAS software translates these into the corresponding behaviours. Data obtained by using LABORAS were compared with data from conventional observation methods (observations of videotapes by human observers). The results indicate that LABORAS is a reliable system for the automated registration of eating, drinking, grooming, climbing, resting and locomotion of mice during a prolonged period of time. In rats, grooming, locomotion and resting also met the pre-defined validation criteria. The system can reduce observation labour and time considerably.

Scoring of sleep and wakefulness by behavioral analysis from video recordings in rhesus monkeys: comparison with conventional EEG analysis

Extensive work on sleep-wake cycles in non-human primates has been carried out using conventional EEG scoring. In this study, simultaneous somnopolygrams and video recordings at 1 frame/s were performed on 6 adult rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta) during a 24 h period. Wakefulness, NREM sleep and REM sleep were scored by analysis of animal behavior from video data, using characteristic criteria for each state of vigilance. Results were then compared with those of conventional EEG scoring. Values of the total amount for each state obtained by the two scoring methods during the light and the dark periods were significantly closely related ( P<0.001) with a high correlation coefficient for wakefulness ( r 1 =0.99956), for NREM sleep ( r 1 =0.99641) and for REM sleep ( r 1 =0.98708). Moreover, the epoch by epoch analysis between both methods showed a high concordance with percent agreement values of 95.68% for wakefulness, 93.52% for NREM sleep and 94.02% for REM sleep. The number of REM sleep episodes was similarly defined. The patterns of successive sleep-wake cycles determined from both scorings were superimposable, as were the frequent state changes for the same time segments. The video method's main limitation was that the 4 stages of NREM sleep could not be differentiated. Reliability and advantages of sleep-wake scoring by behavioral analysis are discussed. These results suggest that the video methodology is relevant as a non-invasive technique complementary to conventional EEG analysis for sleep studies in rhesus monkeys.

Structured learning in a virtual environment

The aim of the DOVE project is to develop a multimedia learning environment for the systematic observation and analysis of animal behaviour. This meets a need in Biology courses where several hundred students each year may need to learn the fundamentals of behavioural recording. This demand cannot adequately be met given present resources. The DOVE (Dynamic Observation in Virtual Environments) system simulates the observation and recording of animal behaviour in the field. The animals are observed through window based video sequences; the charts and tools required for systematic observation are presented as objects. The students record the appropriate behavioural events on the charts presented on the screen. This simulated environment provides the basis for a tutorial introduction to the knowledge and skills of behavioural recording. The learning blocks are structured according to the principles of the CORE approach which emphasises abstracting from examples in context. The evaluation indicates strongly that this synthesis of a simulated environment and a structural learning framework works well.

デジタイザーを使った動物行動の解析

デジタイザーを使った動物行動の解析

Pisces Economicus: The Fish as Economic Man

Since a paradigmatic approach is judged in part by the range of phenomena it can explain, neoclassical microeconomists have no doubt gained assurance about the power of their paradigm by the invasion of economics into a number of related fields, what Hirschleifer (1985) has referred to as the “expanding domain of economics.” Moreover, even beyond these excursions into the provinces of other social sciences concerned with human behavior, economics has also recently expanded into the analysis of animal behavior (cf. Battalio, Kagel, and McDonald, 1985). This development not only adds more scientific prestige to the approach, but allows economists to use research techniques developed in more experimentally oriented disciplines.

Pattern recognition of rat behavior.

Analysis of animal behavior has been an arduous task requiring a human observer to record and classify individual motor acts. A computer pattern recognition system is introduced which simplifies this task by minimizing the need for human intervention. This system uses two video cameras with horizontal and vertical views of the behavior of a control and an experimental rat as they explore a simple environment for 15 minutes. Their behavior is sampled at a rate of one frame/second. Data from the video cameras are then converted into a form acceptable to Micro Vax I and VAX 11/750 computers. Each video picture is reduced to a 256 by 256 array, and ultimately each 15 minute observation session generates 28,800 blocks of information at 512 bytes each. Using a mathematically complete set of moments to the fourth order and the associated scalar invariants, the computer is programmed to identify the five major body positions of the rat including standing, sitting, rearing, walking and lying down. The computer also is programmed to identify the behaviors of grooming, head turning, whole body turning, looking, smelling, sniffing and washing face. This computer pattern recognition system not only speeds up behavioral classification, it alleviates the much criticized subjectivity introduced by human observers.

A computational frame to study social behaviour in animals

This paper presents new methods and procedures for studying collective behaviour in rats. The animals are assumed to be indistinguishable one from another and the behaviour of the group is represented analysed and interpreted in terms of the temporal evolution of a finite state probabilistic automaton. The automaton states are defined by measures on the clustering degree considered as a social response variable. The electronic system developed to carry out the cluster analysis and the automatic control of the social behaviour in the experimental environment includes a multimicroprocessor interacting with a ‘social box’ in which, together with classical sensors and effectors, a phototransistor based position sensor is included. Preliminary experiments show the discriminative power of the cluster automaton concerning sexual differences and emotivity, as well as the extensive of a basic mechanism of clustering as a collective response to stress. Pharmacologically, the new experimental medium proposed in this paper may be used to detect a new range of products affecting social but not individual behaviour. Also, well-known products, which in normal doses produce no detectable modification of individual behaviour, might have detectable effects on the collective level. Be this as it may, the experimental environment described constitutes a further experimental facility for the analysis and control of animal behaviour.

1984 BFSA Symposium at ABA: “Animal Rights and Behavior Analysis: Constraints on Learning About Behavior”

1984 BFSA Symposium at ABA: “Animal Rights and Behavior Analysis: Constraints on Learning About Behavior”

A microcomputer technique for the detailed behavioural, and automatic statistical, analysis of animal behaviour

In view of the intense concentration and time investment required for the detailed assessment of animal behaviour, various strategies have been employed to facilitate the quantitative description of movements and postures of animals. In a recent communication, we outlined a microcomputer technique which enabled individual operators to record frequency and duration of a large number of behavioural elements. However, this method required the manual collation and transcription of summary data in order to effect statistical analysis, an operation which involved avoidable and time-consuming repeated data handling. The present communication details a microcomputer technique which aids the recording of frequency, real-time duration and real-time latency measures. Further, this program automatically collates, transcribes and executes statistical analysis (Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney) without involving manual data manipulation, other than at the initial behavioural analysis level and thus, represents an aid to reducing the total time investment required to effect complete behavioural analysis.

Microcomputers for Laboratory Data Collection

Research Article| March 01 1984 Microcomputers for Laboratory Data Collection Jack D. McMillen, Jack D. McMillen Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Harald E. Esch Harald E. Esch Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (1984) 46 (3): 157–161. https://doi.org/10.2307/4447804 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Jack D. McMillen, Harald E. Esch; Microcomputers for Laboratory Data Collection. The American Biology Teacher 1 March 1984; 46 (3): 157–161. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/4447804 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1984 The National Association of Biology Teachers Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Motion Picture and Videotape Analysis of Behavior

Film and videotape are useful tools in the analysis of animal behavior. A camera can capture actions that evade an observer's eye; films taken at high speeds can be viewed at slow rates to capture actions too fast to be viewed at a normal pace. Single-frame analysis can be employed stop-motion in order to permit detailed analysis of rapid behavior patterns. Time-lapse photography and videotape are useful in recording behaviors and interactions that take place infrequently or over prolonged periods. Finally, film and videotape can be viewed repeatedly, allowing the observer to concentrate on the behavior of several animals or separate events at a particular time, or on different body parts of a single animal during any particular behavior. An observer unaided by the camera may have difficulty concentrating on more than a single animal or body part at one time. Films and videotapes can be used to determine behavior patterns via a method known as single-frame analysis. This does not necessarily involve the viewing of every single frame as the name implies, but merely recording the position of particular body parts, entire animals, or even the behavior of an animal at constant intervals. This technique has been exploited in the study of the species-specific display action patterns (DAP) of iguanid lizards (Carpenter and Ferguson 1977; cf. Carpenter this volume) (fig. 1). The species-specific DAP of a lizard is employed as a social signal during encounters with conspecifics and may involve fighting, territoriality, or courtship. The DAP involves specific sequences of head-bobs and push-ups that occur over specific time intervals. These are of paramount importance in many kinds of lizards in the recognition of species, sex and probably individuals. Sophisticated equipment is available for timemotion analysis, for example, the Vanguard Motion Analyzer (Vanguard Instrument Corporation, Long Island, NY). Although easy and convenient to use, this equipment is costly. A simple, less expensive, laboratory set-up for time-motion analysis can be constructed (fig. 2). A projection screen should have a grid drawn on it for the analysis of behavior. For videotape analysis a transparent

A microcomputer technique for the detailed analysis of animal behaviour

Movements and postures of animals may be described quantitatively and as such represent measures that may be used to, for example, detect drug-induced alterations in behaviour. However, because of the time-investment needed to generate such data, quantitative assessment of animal behaviour remains a major problem in psychopharmacology. The present communication outlines a microcomputer based method for obtaining frequency, real-time duration and latency measures from a large number of behavioural elements. When used in conjunction with a videotape recorder, this system enables one experimenter to obtain data from situations involving several interacting animals, thus representing an aid to increased data-logging efficiency using only equipment that is commonly found in many psychopharmacology laboratories.

An analysis of drug-seeking behavior in animals

This article reviews the literature on the behavioral aspects of opiate dependence. Available data on the variables affecting drug-maintained behavior are presented. These variables are: (a) reinforcement variables, including parameters such as delay, magnitude, rate and duration of the reinforcing stimulus; (b) antecedent conditions, such as deprivation and satiation; (c) organismic variables, such as genotype, species, sex and age; (d) current environmental contingencies, such as the schedule of reinforcement in effect, or extinction; and (e) such experiential variables as pharmacological and behavioral history of the organism. The review ends with a discussion of the implications of these variables for the treatment of drug abuse.

A Poor Approach to Animal Behavior Comparative Psychology: An Evolutionary Analysis of Animal Behavior M. Ray Denny

A Poor Approach to Animal Behavior Comparative Psychology: An Evolutionary Analysis of Animal Behavior M. Ray Denny

Neuropeptide modulation of social and exploratory behaviors in laboratory rodents

Neuropeptide influences on exploratory and social behaviors were investigated, using a video-monitored computer-assisted automated animal behavior analysis system. Cholecystokinin decreased exploratory tendencies in the dose range 0.1–5.0 μg/kg IP and 0.5–5.0 μg/IVT, indicating a peripheral mechanism in the CCK reduction of spontaneous behaviors. Neither arginine vasopressin nor alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone changed parameters of exploratory and social behaviors, strengthening the possibility that their roles in increasing acquisition and retention of operant tasks are specific to neural mechanisms involved in memory and learning. Analysis of spontaneous exploratory and social behavior patterns appears to be a sensitive and effective tool for detecting changes in arousal and attention to environmental stimuli which may underlie more specific behavioral effects of brain neuropeptides.

Behavioural and physical effects of flooring on piglets and sows

Three different floor surface treatments in farrowing pens, viz. concrete, epoxypainted concrete and floor covered with a rubber mat, were studied with regard to their effects on the behaviour of the sows and piglets, and also knee damage suffered by the piglets. The data were studied in three parts: (1) the analysis of animal behaviour (2) knee wounds and (3) the association between knee wounds and behaviour. The analysis of behaviour showed that floors covered with rubber mats were the best for lying-comfort of the sows, the epoxy-painted concrete floor being too slippery. It was also observed that the piglets moved around most on the floor covered with rubber mats. The different floor treatments did not influence the number of knee wounds on the front legs of the piglets. From three days of age the incidence of wounds decreased by three percent per day. The wound diameters were greatest on the rubber mats and smallest on the concrete floors. The diameters of the wounds increased up to an age of ten days, after which they decreased. Wound depth was less on the concrete flooring than on the rubber mats. There is an association between the number of wounds and the lying-time of the animals. In further work, the behaviour of the piglets should be studied in the first three or four days of life in relation to floor structures and quality of bedding.

Analysis of Animal Behavior by Means of a Dynamic Process Model

One of the goals of behavioral science consists in the search for representative descriptions and numerical analysis of complex, dynamic behavioral systems [5]. System theory and the theory of adaptive systems offer a large range of identification methods, which are used mainly for technological applications. It may be, however, of interest to determine

動物行動の解析とその計量化による実験的研究

動物行動の解析とその計量化による実験的研究

A PROGRAMMING CIRCUIT FOR SELF‐STIMULATION OF THE BRAIN

Electrical stimulation of the brain as both positive and negative reinforcement is a growing adjunct to the analysis of animal behavior. Olds and Milner (1954) have described the techniques of electrode implantation in the rat, but little has been said about equipment for programming the stimuli. The basic requirements, as determined by experimenters in this area, may be described as follows. For positive reinforcement, the rat receives electrical stimulation for as long as it depresses a bar, but not longer than about 0.5-1 second. The rat must release the bar and depress it a second time to get additional current. When negative reinforcement is used, the stimulus is delivered to the brain unless the rat depresses the lever. Two possible alternatives arise at this point: Either the current is held off until the rat releases the lever, or it is held off for only a short interval, after which the rat must press the bar a second time. Since the pieces of apparatus usually found around the laboratory do not appear to be ideally suited to the outlined program, the device described here was designed and constructed chiefly for classroom demonstrations. By judicious shopping for parts, the total. cost was held to under twenty dollars. The circuit diagram indicates a double pathway through the relay and switch contacts, so that a signal lamp (or counters and timers) may readily be placed in Circuit B. Because partial-reinforcement schedules are not often used, this feature has not been included; conventional arrangements may easily be wired into the lever circuit. Stimulus currents of various waveforms are introduced through Input A. Operation is as follows. With Switch 2 in initiate (up) position, depression of the bar allows the stimulating current to flow until (a) the bar is released, or (b) the thyratron fires (after a delay determined by C and R4), whichever is first. Release of the lever recycles the programmer so it is immediately ready for another sequence. With Switch 2 in discontinue (down) posiL OUT-A