Search results for " behaviour."

The Effects of Transfer of Learning and Literacy: An Analysis of Graffiti and Sgraffitiin the City of Johannesburg

2019

The study examined the social effects of graffiti as pieces of writing or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed on surfaces of public toilets or bus termini. The study followed a qualitative exploratory design in which the researchers observed the messages expressed in the graffiti and conducted a discourse analysis on their effects on the moral fabric of society. Themes and perceptions towards some societal ills emerged from the analysis. The main aim of the study was thus to unravel the possible social issues expressed through this art of graffiti and sgraffitti. A purposive total sample size of 10 public toilets and bus termini was used for the study. Among the major findings of this …

Data from: Large birds travel farther in homogeneous environments

2019

Aim: Animal movement is an important determinant of individual survival, population dynamics, and ecosystem structure and function. Yet it is still unclear how local movements are related to resource availability and the spatial arrangement of resources. Using resident bird species and migratory bird species outside of the migratory period, we examined how the distribution of resources affect the movement patterns of both large terrestrial birds (e.g., raptors, bustards, hornbills) and waterbirds (e.g., cranes, storks, ducks, geese, flamingos). Location: Global Time Period: 2003 - 2015 Major taxa studied: Birds Methods: We compiled GPS tracking data for 386 individuals across 36 bird specie…

Data from: Stabilising selection on microsatellite allele length at arginine vasopressin 1a receptor and oxytocin receptor loci

2017

The loci arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (avpr1a) and oxytocin receptor (oxtr) have evolutionarily conserved roles in vertebrate social and sexual behavior. Allelic variation at a microsatellite locus in the 5’ regulatory region of these genes is associated with fitness in the bank vole Myodes glareolus. Given the low frequency of long and short alleles at these microsatellite loci in wild bank voles, we used breeding trials to determine whether selection acts against long and short alleles. Female bank voles with intermediate length avpr1a alleles had the highest probability of breeding, while male voles whose avpr1a alleles were very different in length had reduced probability of breedin…

Data from: Personalities influence spatial responses to environmental fluctuations in wild fish

2018

1. Although growing evidence supports the idea that animal personality can explain plasticity in response to changes in the social environment, it remains to be tested whether it can explain spatial responses of individuals in the face of natural environmental fluctuations. This is a major challenge in ecology and evolution as spatial dynamics link individual- and population-level processes. 2. In this study we investigated the potential of individual personalities to predict differences in fish behaviour in the wild. Specifically, our goal was to answer if individual differences in plasticity of space use to sea surface temperature could be explained by differences in personality along the…

Challenging behaviour, and staff responses to it, in residential environments for people with intellectual disability in Finland

2002

The frequency and severity of challenging behaviour in all 261 adult residents of a single special care district in Finland were assessed using the modified version of the Scales of Independent Behavior Problem Behavior Inventory. The results showed that 70% of the residents with intellectual disability exhibited challenging behaviour that was considered to be more than a mild problem by the staff. The incidence of dangerous behaviour was 10%. Some form of negative intervention (restraints, punishment or environmental restrictions) was used for 56% of cases in which challenging behaviour was exhibited. Punishment was the most common consequence for dangerous behaviour. The staff in the smal…

Acute and chronic effects of clomipramine on isolation-induced aggression in male mice

1994

The behavioral effects of clomipramine were studied on an ethopharmacological model of aggression. A range of low doses (similar to those used in clinical practice: 1.5, 3, and 6 mg/kg) and a higher dose (24 mg/kg—more usual in animal experimentation) were administered to isolated male mice that confronted anosmic opponents in a neutral arena. Encounters were staged 30 min after acute treatment and either 30 min or 24 h after the last drug administration in the chronic (21-day) treatment. Significant behavioral effects were observed predominantly with the highest dose. Acute and chronic effects were similar in the sense that both decreased aggressive behavior and produced some impairment of…

Rôle des lipides dans la régulation du comportement alimentaire

2008

Obesity constitutes a major public health problem for the 21 st Century, with its epidemic spread worldwide, particularly in children. The overconsumption of fatty foods greatly contributes to this phenomenon. Rodents and humans display a spontaneous preference for lipid-rich foods. But why are lipids so attractive? What are the molecular mechanisms involved? The purpose of this mini review is to explore few basic questions raised by recent data providing evidences on the relationships between dietary lipids and feeding behavior.

Childhood Adversities and Later Attitudes towards Harmful Parenting Behaviour including Shaking in a German Population‐based Sample

2020

Seabream (Sparus aurata) long-term dominant-subordinate interplay affects phagocytosis by peritoneal cavity cells.

2012

Fish are sensitive to stressful conditions that affect their innate immune systems and increase their susceptibility to diseases. We examined the social stress of paired gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Social hierarchies (dominant/subordinate) were characterised by behavioural changes, such as “aggressiveness” and “feeding order”; hierarchical positions were established within an hour of exposure to social stress and remained unchanged for approximately 1 year. To characterise physiological stress, we measured blood plasma levels of cortisol, glucose, and lactate as well as osmolarity and observed that the levels of these stress markers were higher in subordinate individuals than in domi…

Eye Kinematics of Athletes in Non-Familiar Sports Situations

2008

Biological motion can hardly be imitated, starting from how a person observes and learns motor behaviour. We recorded eye movements of 13 female ball games athletes and 13 age-matched controls observing videos of unfamiliar sports. The athletes are better at alternating between faster and slower eye movement modalities. They initially use longer but fewer fixations than the non-athletes.