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• What is ethology?
• Key stimlus, fixed action pattern
• Organisation of Behaviour

Suggested textbook:

Chris Barnard: Animal Behaviour. Mechanism, Development, Function and Evolution.
(available as e-book)

CLASS 2012

Term papers (all kinds) from previous years.

Exam: please ask for appointment by mail following the approval of your term paper.

Oral exam in my office, Rottenbiller Bldg second floor Room # 15.

January: Starting 9 A:M. any Wednesday and Thursday, ask for more dates if needed.
(January 23rd is not available)

We would discuss your term paper in context of the lectures + you get one of the study questions to discuss:

1. What are the fundamental differences in worldview between behaviourism and early ethology?
2. What are the most important forms of learning suggested by comparative psychology and early ethology?
3. What methods were used to study key stimuli (please give examples)
4. What are the differences between game theory and optimisation models in behaviour ecology?
5. How could impairment of a particular sensation be adaptive in evolution?
6. What are the similarities and differences between evolutionary and cultural ritualisation?
7. How can alternative mating strategies co-exist in a population?
8. What are the possible connections between parental investment and mating system?
9. What evidence suggest that the hyppocampus is critical in spatial navigation?
10. What are the differences between reciproc and obligate altruism? What role do they play in non-human and human populations?
11. (What would be your approach to treat a dog said to be aggressive? )
12. Are cognitive skills of humans unprecedented in the animal kingdom?
13. What are the supposed main differences in mate choice between the sexes?

Please start the exam with an outline of what you would talk about. Give actual examples. Prepare for a discussion, be ready to defend your point :-).

Excerpts from my correspondence with students:

1. Dear XY,

   what you did in the first place was to copy and paste full sentences,
   called copy-paste plagiarism. I can forget about that if you do not
   come back at this issue with further explanations. I found your source.
   Remains between us.

   This version contains less cop-paste stuff, but it still does.

   Why don't you read one of your articles, understand, sit back and
   think about it. What was the aim of the authors? Why is the question
   important? Where the methods used appropriate. What did they get? What
   does it mean?

   You can write that up in 1-2 pages in your own words. It is not an
   English course, so do not worry about your style. But then, if you
   invite a native speaker to review your paper I am sure he/she would be
   happy to do so provided he/she can slip some beer/coke while working
   on it.

   Best wishes, Peter Kabai