3 SPECIAL ARTICLES ABOUT ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
ARTICLE #1
TITLE
A Dog’s View of Optical Illusions
Researchers are using visual tricks to try to better understand canine perception.
DESCRIPTION
This is a fascinating article for many reasons. Aside from the researchers curiosity, the idea of studying dogs and optical illusions give us more information and understanding of visual perception as well as the animal’s cognitive abilities. “Researchers who study illusions using behavioral experiments counter that, even with these challenges, the approach offers at least a preliminary way to explore how dogs see the world. As Byosiere (the researcher) explains, these studies “can give us a good first glimpse into the ways that they’re visually processing their surroundings. It can help us figure out where the parallels are and where they aren’t,” and potentially design better research studies in the future.” The description of how the research is conducted is a wonderful illustration of the scientific method.
This article can be used in conjunction with the text book for the topics of scientific method, visual perception, and cognition in animals.
SOURCE
The Scientist, January 1, 2021, by Catherine Offord
LINK TO RESOURCE
https://www.the-scientist.com/features/a-dogs-view-of-optical-illusions-68278
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/y9frpvre
======================================
ARTICLE #2
TITLE
Octopuses Have a Secret Sense to Keep Their 8 Arms Out of Trouble
Even when an octopus can’t see light with its eyes, its arms seem to know it is there.
DESCRIPTION
There has been an uptick in interest in this fascinating animal: the octopus. Perhaps this is due to the Netflix movie: “My Octopus Teacher.” (The link to the trailer is listed below.) Scientists have wondered and tried studying a variety of the octopus behaviors through very clever experiments. “So how does the octopus keep all those wiggly, sucker-covered limbs out of trouble? According to a study published this month in The Journal of Experimental Biology by Dr. Nesher and his colleagues, the octopus’s arms can sense and respond to light — even when the octopus cannot see it with the eyes on its head. This light-sensing ability may help the cephalopods keep their arms concealed from other animals that could mistake the tip of an arm for a marine worm or some other kind of meal.” These experiments give us a better understanding of cognition, sensation and perception, and survival behaviors.
See the trailer for “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3s0LTDhqe5A
SOURCE
New York Times, February 20, 2021, by Richard Sima
LINK TO RESOURCE
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/science/octopus-arms-light.html?smid=em-share
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/yd7r8aa9
======================================
ARTICLE #3
TITLE
Pigs Can Learn to Play Video Games When Tempted by Treats
DESCRIPTION
This is both a fascinating and funny article. Pigs have been trained behaviorally in many ways much like dogs, though there have not been many fully captured studies that look at manipulative skills, sensation and perception, as well as cognitive (intelligence) abilities. “We still underestimate the smarts of pigs and farm animals in general,” says Nawroth (researcher) to CNN. “As this avenue of research, farm animal cognition, is taking off steam, we will likely see more research on more sophisticated learning and cognitive skills of farm animals over the next years.” It is not only interesting but somewhat amusing to see the apparatus setup with the subject.
The original article from the Frontiers in Psychology can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631755/full
(Frontiers in Psychology, 11 February 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631755)
SOURCE
Smithsonian, February 16, 2021, by Theresa Machemer
LINK TO RESOURCE
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/ydgx4vb9
======================================
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
•In general, why does modern Psychology study animal behavior?
•How do these studies add to our knowledge of Psychology in areas of sensation and perception, animal learning, cognition and intelligence?
•How is the scientific method applied to animal studies? If possible, can you explain how the methods might differ from studies with humans in the complexities of setting up the studies and especially in the interpretation of the results.
Leave a Reply