Methods in Behavioural Biology

In this course, we will practice and discuss essential components of the behavioural research process, mostly in chronological order, as they would come up during your own thesis project. The first part will focus on important considerations when deciding on your study approach, your study design, your behavioural measurements protocol and your data management. The second part will focus on selected study techniques in animal behaviour. The third part will focus on data analysis, discussing key components of data analysis in general, such as data exploration, and some specific challenges and solutions to analysing behavioural data. Finally, we will discuss the importance of transparent reporting. Throughout the course, we will introduce you to a number of freely available software that we frequently use in the collection and analysis of behavioural studies, such as the event-logging software BORIS and the statistical software R. You will also gain experience with retrieving scientific literature.

• Implement suitable sampling methods to quantify behavioural observations and recordings

• Choose a suitable study approach, design and data source to test hypotheses about a given behaviour

• Identify key biases in behavioural research, and the methods to overcome them, in all phases of the research cycle

• Explain how statistics can inform choices on study design

• Appraise the replicability and suitability of the methodological approach of a given behavioural study by writing a preprint review

• Written test with open and closed questions (50%)
• Assignment other (10%) Assignments can only be handed in during the course. Students that obtained to few points for the assignments will be notified during the course and will get one opportunity to resubmit the failing assignment(s) before the end of the course. In exceptional cases (e.g. severe illness), selected assignment(s) as determined by the course coordinator can be (re)submitted in the next resit period.
• Assignment report (40%) Handing in before the end of the course. If failed for the report, students can submit one revised version of their report. Report resubmissions will only be accepted during the resit period. The final grade will be the average between the grade obtained during the course and the grade of the re-submission.

ZSS06200 Fieldwork Safety BHE20303 Animal Behaviour

• Examples from original published literature