1,720,964 research outputs found
Application and analysis of concurrent chain schedules in large mammals: initial findings and future directions
No full textStabled horses often present with abnormal repetitive behaviours (ARBs). Recent research has examined the possibility that ARBs may be the result of neurological change, brought about by environmentally induced, chronic under stimulation. The studies have typically correlated behavioural data from affected species with existing lesion studies and neuropsychological data. Results from these studies have shown that ARB animals appear to show signs of reduced response inhibition and perseveration, similar to animals with lesions on the striatum (putamen and caudate nucleus of basal ganglia). Many of the studies supporting this have used extinction procedures as measures of perseveration. However, many are methodologically weak. In view of this we are currently exploring ARB horses using concurrent chain schedules. Concurrent chains procedures will many benefits to furthering the evaluation of ARBs, including analysis of perseveration and disinhibition, and self-control and choice. Initial findings have been pleasing. Horses perform well on concurrent chain procedures with the data fitting mathematical models of concurrent chain performance (CCM; Grace, 1994). In addition, it seems from initial analysis that horses displaying ARBs show abnormal response patterns on the concurrent chains
Behavioral correlates of equine stereotypy phenotype
No full textHorses that display stereotypic (repetitive, idiosyncratic and invariant response patterns) behavior have been shown to have differences in central nervous system physiology. Specifically, they have been found to have sensitized striatal dopaminergic pathways. Pharmacological sensitization of the striatum has been shown to lead to an accelerated shift from planned behaviour (response-outcome) to habitual responding (stimulus-response), in the context of US devaluation and place-response paradigms. Therefore, theoretically, endogenously produced sensitization would be expected to lead to a similar accelerated shift. In the present study, matched pairs of stereotypic and non-stereotypic horses were trained to locate food in a standard cross-maze. After training, subjects were challenged with a probe trial, in which they were placed in an immediately adjacent mirror image maze. Differences between the groups were found, and results are discussed in the context of the equine stereotypy phenotype
Increasing foraging and patch choice is a mixed blessing for captive vicugna (Vicugna vicugna)
No full textAnalysis of canine stereotypic behaviour and treatment
No full textProblem behaviour may have a physiological basis; it may be conditioned to inappropriate stimuli; or it may be abnormal in terms of frequency or duration of display, known as stereotypic behaviour (SB), that is considered functionless (Mason, 1991). However, repetitive, invariant behaviours that are resistant to change are also characteristic of normal behaviours, and may have phylogenetic influences (Timberlake and Lucas, 1989). So, when does normal behaviour become a stereotypy?
Whilst SB is not uncommon in animals that have had to live in severely impoverished or restricted environment, they are likely to be less common in companion animals, particularly dogs and cats who tend not to be caged for long periods. Yet many repetitive behaviours in these species are labelled SB and treated initially with drugs, rather than undertaking a complete case history which may indicate other motivations for the behaviour and that behavioural management is a more appropriate treatment. The case history needs to identify both initiating and maintaining factors, as well as breed specific characteristics and the relevant elements of the human – animal relationship. The rationale for behaviour modification programme and the pre-treatment and post-treatment data will be presented for clinical cases of repetitive behaviour in dogs
Animal behaviour therapy: the mis-understood application of ABA
No full textAnimal Behaviour Therapy is an expanding applied area that is rapidly gaining recognition as a distinct field of professional development. It refers to animals kept as companions or as working animals, in homes, zoological collections or laboratories. It relates to the prevention and resolution of behaviours that are deemed problematical. Problem behaviours can have a variety of causes and associated motivations. They may have been learned or deliberately trained. They may be related to species specific behaviours and aspects of the animal’s ethology. Their prevention and resolution will always involve modification of, human behaviour. Animal Behaviour Therapy is by its nature multidisciplinary. However, the field has evolved from several backgrounds, most of whom have little academic or practical overlap. These include Ethologists and Psychologists, the former having a wealth of knowledge of species behaviour and function, the latter an in depth understanding of the role of learning, functional analysis and ABA. However, much animal behaviour therapy is undertaken by those with a purely non-theoretical animal training background. The current paper will seek to illustrate how the skills and knowledge from these different research and practical areas can be unified to produce a coherent approach to Animal Behaviour Therap
Aggressive behaviour in dogs, the role of learning
No full textAggressive Behaviour in dogs has become a major topic of scientific research in Northern Europe and USA. It ranks among the top problems presented to animal behaviour therapists. Research into the influence of owner/dog interactions on the development of aggression has yielded contradictory results. However in Animal Behaviour Therapy the influence of the owner’s behaviour has proved to be a major factor in changing the animal’s aggressive behaviour. In principal, aggressive behaviour in dogs can be considered normal, species-specific behaviour, essential for survival. Learning and genotype both play a role in its development. The principles of learning are relatively unknown to the general public and so are rarely applied systematically in everyday dog training. Typical training procedures and have been found to reinforce aggressive behaviour in dogs. The aim of the paper will be to illustrate this using various case studies from animal behaviour therapy sessions and how problematic aggressive behaviour within dogs can be modified
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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