Lesson Structure: Animal Behaviour BAG203

There are 8 lessons:

1. Introduction: Influences and motivation.
   • What is behaviour
   • Causes of behaviour (eg. genetics, learning, external and internal influences)
   • Reactive, active and cognitive behaviour
   • Conditioning
2. Genetics and Behaviour.
   • Understanding biology
   • Natural selection
   • Genetic variation
   • Development of behaviour
   • Behavioural genetics
3. Animal Perception and Behaviour.
   • How animals perceive things
   • What stimulates them and how do those stimuli function
   • Instinct
   • Neural control
   • Sensory processes, sight, sound, hearing etc.
4. Behaviour and the Environment.
   • Coordination
   • Orientation
   • Homeostasis
   • Acclimatisation
   • Circadian rhythms
   • Biological clocks
   • Reproductive cycles etc.
5. Social Behaviour.
   • Animal Societies
   • Aggression
   • Social constraints
   • Social order
   • Play
   • Biological clocks
   • Communication
6. Instinct and Learning.
   • Conditioning and learning
   • Extinction and habituation
   • Instrumental learning
   • Reinforcement
   • Operant behaviour
   • Biological and cognitive aspects of learning
7. Handling Animals.
   • Psychological affects of different handling techniques
   • Training animals (horses, cats, dogs, etc).
   • The student has a choice of which types of animals to focus on, though a variety will still be covered.
8. Behavioural Problems.
   • Abnormal behaviour (eg. Psychotic, neurotic);
   • Domestication of animals
   • Reducing human contact
   • Reducing human dependence

Learning Goals:  Animal Behaviour BAG203

• Determine the set elements that influence animal behaviours
• Depict how genes affect different animal reactions
• Explain how animals respond to different stimuli
• Show what environmental elements cause what types of behaviours in different animals
• State how social influences in animals affect the ways they behave with regards to aggresiveness, play, sexual behaviour and others
• Depict how animals adapt and learn
• Discuss the various effects handlling techniques have on the psychology of an animal
• Determine what constitutes as unusual or abnormal behaviour in animals (e.g psychotic, neurotic) and the different methods used to make animals independent from humans

• Observe an animal in the zoo, in the wild, or a domestic animal. Try to observe what you consider to be an example of operant conditioning. Make notes.
• Talk with an animal breeder (amateur or professional). This may be a pet owner whose cat or dog has given birth; or it may be a farmer, dog breeder, horse breeder, bird breeder or some other animal breeder.
• Write a paragraph describing the behaviour of an animal (real or contrived) which utilizes the different words you learnt under terminology in this lesson
• Classify the following animals according to whether they are endo-therms or ecto-therms; a dog, a penguin, a single celled protozoa, a lizard. How is heat lost from endo-therms to the environment, and how can this heat loss be reduced?
• Observe an animal while it is on its own. Make notes of how it behaves. Observe the same animal or species of animal in a group situation or in the presence of one other animal of the same species. Make notes on its behaviour and pay attention to any noticeable differences compared to its solitary behaviour.
• Visit a zoo, wildlife park or farm where animals are being confined in some way, and observe the behaviour of one particular type of animal over the course of an hour. This can be any animal you choose to study. Make notes on its behaviour, and any problems that you would anticipate with handling.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the Academy, marked by the Academy’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Your learning experience with ADL will not only depend on the quality of the course but, also depends on the quality of the person teaching.  Your course fee includes unlimited tutor support throughout. This course is taught by Vicky Protopapadaki.

Vicky Protopapadaki
MSc (Distinction) Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare (University of Edinburgh), BSc Business Administration (University of the Aegean), Cert. Companion Animal Behaviour (University of Edinburgh ), Cert. Animal Use and Care (University of Prince Edward Island).

Vickys passion for animals led her to obtain her MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare, despite her having a background in business and management. Apart from her personal experience with animals, she volunteers at various animal shelters around Greece and has done research on feline behaviour at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada and on primate behaviour at Edinburgh Zoo. She is currently researching PhD opportunities in the field of animal ethics and studying entrepreneurship for the purpose of creating her own charity for animal protection in Greece.

Gain all important hands-on experience with wildlife animals, to add to your CV whilst you are studying this Certificate Course with ADL, or after completing it. We are very happy to be associated with GVE, which offers an unforgettable volunteer experience in South Africa with their Game Capture and Vet Experience programs.

The program fee charged for the experience also acts as the main support for GVE’s non-profit clinic.

Interested in reading more information about both the Game Capture and Vet Experience programs? Then just click on the GVE logo below

ANIMAL COMMUNICATION AND PERCEPTION

Animals communicate not only with auditory signals, as humans do, but also by visual and olfactory signals. Communication in animals depends on their ability to perceive messages.

The sensory abilities of many animals, with the exception of cats and dogs, have not been studied systematically. Usually when we describe the perception of animals it is most often compared with that of humans.

HOW DO ANIMALS PERCEIVE THINGS?

Animal behaviour is controlled by a nervous system, which is comprised of special nerve cells called neurons. The nervous system operates according to the same general principles in all types of animals.

The nervous system is stimulated from the environment, through sensory receptors. A stimulus is any form of energy that can be detected by the body. A signal is the physical coding of information (e.g., a message) capable of transmission through environment.

Sensory processing includes all central acts of information processing, which link the initial stages of sensory reception with the creation of subjective sensory perception. Animals normally only respond to stimuli which they select; they filter out certain stimuli that surround them, and react to others they choose to accept.

The reaction to a stimulus frequently depends upon the context: the various components that make up the environment and the overall situation in which the animal finds itself.

It is well recognized that the same stimuli can cause different responses in the same animal. Learning and experience together affect the animals ability to assess the setting in which stimuli are received and vary responses through cognitive processes.

here are many situations though where the context or setting is relatively unimportant. These types of stimuli are called symbols, releasers or behavioural signs. Such stimuli will release or trigger more or less predictable, pre-programmed behaviours.

Example: Young herring gulls peck at a red spot on their parents bill when they seek food. Experiments have shown the same birds will peck at a red spot on a cardboard model when the cardboard is roughly shaped like a bill.

Auditory symbols are common in many types of mammals and birds and act as specific releasers for a range of social behaviours including courtship and mating. The setting or context is obviously very different, but the behaviour remains unchanged.

Imprinting

Imprinting is a dramatic example of the way releasers work. Many types of birds develop a strong bond to a mother; demonstrated by a following response. Note how the ducklings follow the mother duck. This type of imprinting of birds happens during a critical period after hatching, in response to specific releaser stimuli from the mother.

The releaser stimuli may include both the visual appearance and the movements undertaken by the mother. Experiments have shown that imprinting can still happen when the biological mother is not involved, if appropriate releaser stimuli are reproduced during the critical time frame.

Imprinting is also highly resistant to extinction or reversal and has a profound and lasting effect on later social behaviour with respect to the stimulus objects.

Negative imprinting is a phenomenon by which young animals and birds learn to avoid mating with those that they have been raised with. Other methods of inbreeding avoidance include dispersion, where the young leave the nest or home and out breeding.

Releaser stimuli can also originate inside the animal (e.g. in mammals, a low sugar concentration in the blood will stimulate a hunger response in the brain).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.