The Brown-Headed Cowbird: A Model Species for Testing Novel Research Questions in Animal Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

2017 ◽  
pp. 161-187
Author(s):  
Brian D. Peer ◽  
James W. Rivers ◽  
Loren Merrill ◽  
Scott K. Robinson ◽  
Stephen I. Rothstein
Keyword(s):  
Animal Ecology ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
And Behavior

Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models for the Co-Evolution of Networks and Behavior: An Introduction and Tutorial

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuval Kalish
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Network Evolution ◽  
Network Ties ◽  
Network Change ◽  
Step Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Organizational Scholarship ◽  
And Behavior

Stochastic actor-oriented (SAO) models are a family of models for network dynamics that enable researchers to test multiple, often competing explanations for network change and estimate the extent and relative power of various influences on network evolution. SAO models for the co-evolution of network ties and actor behavior, the most comprehensive category of SAO models, examine how networks and actor attributes—their behavior, performance, or attitudes—influence each other over time. While these models have been widely used in the social sciences, and particularly in educational settings, their use in organizational scholarship has been extremely limited. This paper provides a layperson introduction to SAO models for the co-evolution of networks and behavior and the types of research questions they can address. The models and their underpinnings are explained in nonmathematical terms, and theoretical explanations are supported by a concrete, detailed example that includes step-by-step model building and hypothesis testing, alongside an R script.

Expanding the Methodological Approach to the Social Servicescape: Moving From Measurement to Manipulation

2020 ◽  
pp. 193896552094921
Author(s):  
Lydia Hanks ◽  
Nathaniel D. Line ◽  
Lu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Measured Variable ◽  
Service Environment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Tangible Element ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Nomological Validity

Recently, research of the servicescape has expanded to include a social element in addition to the traditionally identified physical/tangible element. Typically, this social servicescape construct has been treated as a measured variable, reflecting the other customers in the service environment across three dimensions (i.e., similarity, behavior, and appearance). However, the exclusive use of measurement to operationalize a phenomenon limits both the types of methods that can be used and, correspondingly, the types of research questions that can be asked. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to propose and test a scenario-based manipulation of the customer social servicescape construct so that future research can address the phenomenon using experimental design. Scenarios crossing the social servicescape with social density (i.e., crowding) are constructed in three different domains (restaurant, hotel, and retail) and tested in terms of their nomological validity by assessing the effects of the manipulated variables on attitudes and satisfaction. Our results demonstrate that the three elements of the social servicescape—similarity, appearance, and behavior—each had a direct and significant effect on attitude and satisfaction. In addition, these results were consistent across the hotel, restaurant, and retail contexts. The clarity and consistency of these findings indicate the viability of the social servicescape manipulations as a research tool.

Prejudice and Discrimination Toward Immigrants

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 503-531
Author(s):  
Victoria M. Esses
Keyword(s):  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Immigrant Status ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Prejudice And Discrimination ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Prejudice and discrimination toward immigrants, and the consequences of these negative attitudes and behavior, are key determinants of the economic, sociocultural, and civic-political future of receiving societies and of the individuals who seek to make these societies their new home. In this article I review and organize the existing literature on the determinants and nature of prejudice and discrimination toward immigrants, summarizing what we know to date and the challenges in attributing effects to immigrant status per se. I also discuss the consequences of discrimination against immigrants for immigrants themselves, their families, and the societies in which they settle. I conclude by presenting key research questions and topics in this domain that should be at the top of the research agenda for those interested in intergroup relations in this age of mass migration.

Situational Strength as a Means of Conceptualizing Context

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rustin D. Meyer ◽  
Reeshad S. Dalal
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Situational Strength ◽  
Motivated Behavior ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Physical Variables ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Kanfer (2009) argues that “context” is an important consideration in the study of motivated behavior, but our knowledge of contextual constructs is immature and in need of considerable development. We agree and build on her position by proposing that situational strength (Hough & Oswald, 2008; Mischel, 1977) has the potential to help conceptualize what Johns (2006) calls “discrete context” (i.e., the particular task, social, and physical variables that influence motivation, attitudes, and behavior). The present article briefly describes situational strength, discusses its operationalization and measurement, explores its implications for practice, and describes two research questions that fall withinPasteur’s Quadrant(Stokes, 1997).

scholarly journals A connectome is not enough – what is still needed to understand the brain of Drosophila?

2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis K. Scheffer ◽  
Ian A. Meinertzhagen
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Synaptic Connections ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Electron Microscopy Level ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACT Understanding the structure and operation of any nervous system has been a subject of research for well over a century. A near-term opportunity in this quest is to understand the brain of a model species, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This is an enticing target given its relatively small size (roughly 200,000 neurons), coupled with the behavioral richness that this brain supports, and the wide variety of techniques now available to study both brain and behavior. It is clear that within a few years we will possess a connectome for D. melanogaster: an electron-microscopy-level description of all neurons and their chemical synaptic connections. Given what we will soon have, what we already know and the research that is currently underway, what more do we need to know to enable us to understand the fly's brain? Here, we itemize the data we will need to obtain, collate and organize in order to build an integrated model of the brain of D. melanogaster.

scholarly journals A review of the taxonomy of spiny-backed orb-weaving spiders of the subfamily Gasteracanthinae (Araneae, Araneidae) in Thailand

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1032 ◽  
pp. 17-62
Author(s):  
Kongkit Macharoenboon ◽  
Warut Siriwut ◽  
Ekgachai Jeratthitikul
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Tree ◽  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Molecular Species ◽  
Species Delimitation ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Nominal Species ◽  
Model Species ◽  
And Behavior

Spiny-backed orb-weaving spiders of the subfamily Gasteracanthinae are broadly distributed in the Old World. Despite their use as a model species in biology, evolution, and behavior because of their extraordinary characteristics, the systematics of this group of spiders are still poorly understood. This study elucidates the systematics of Gasteracanthinae in Thailand based on morphological and molecular-based analyses. In total, seven species from three genera, namely Gasteracantha, Macracantha, and Thelacantha, were recorded in Thailand. Shape of abdominal spines, pattern of sigilla, and female genitalia are significant characters for species identification. In contrast, coloration shows highly intraspecific variation in most species within Gasteracanthinae. A phylogenetic tree based on partial sequences of COI, 16S, and H3 genes recovered Gasteracanthinae as a monophyletic group and supports the existence of three clades. Gasteracantha hasselti is placed as a sister taxon to Macracantha arcuata. Hence, we propose to transfer G. hasselti to Macracantha. Moreover, molecular species delimitation analyses (ABGD, bPTP, and GMYC) using 675 bp of COI gene support all nominal species, with evidence of possible additional cryptic species.

scholarly journals The Use, Impact, and Unintended Consequences of Mobile Web-Enabled Devices in University Classrooms

10.28945/3464 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 025-046
Author(s):  
Kevin A. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Mobile Web ◽  
Traditional Research ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
The Impact

The impact that mobile web-enabled devices have had on the lives and behavior of university students has been immense. Yet, many of the models used in the classrooms have remained unchanged. Although a traditional research approach of examining the literature, developing a methodology, and so on is followed, this paper’s main aim is to inform practitioners on observations and examples from courses which insist on and encourage mobiles in the classroom. The paper asked three research questions regarding the use, impact, and unintended consequences of mobile web-enabled devices in the classroom. Data was collected from observing and interacting with post graduate students and staff in two universities across two continents: Africa and Europe. The paper then focuses on observations and examples on the use, impact, and unintended consequences of mobile web-enabled devices in two classrooms. The findings are that all students used mobile web-enabled devices for a variety of reasons. The use of mobile devices did not negatively impact the class, rather students appeared to be more engaged and comfortable knowing they were allowed to openly access their mobile devices. The unintended consequences included the use of mobiles to translate text into home languages.

scholarly journals The Future of Gene-Guided Neuroscience Research in Non-Traditional Model Organisms

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 108-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Juntti
Keyword(s):  
Gene Editing ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Traditional Model ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Natural Variations ◽  
And Behavior

Natural variations across animals in form, function, and behavior have long been sources of inspiration to scientists. Despite this, experimentalists focusing on the neural bases of behavior have increasingly focused on a select few model species. This consolidation is motivated primarily by the availability of resources and technologies for manipulation in these species. Recent years have witnessed a proliferation of experimental approaches that were developed primarily in traditional model species, but that may in principle be readily applied to any species. High-throughput sequencing, CRISPR gene editing, transgenesis, and other technologies have enabled new insights through their deployment in non-traditional model species. The availability of such approaches changes the calculation of which species to study, particularly when a trait of interest is most readily observed in a non-traditional model organism. If these technologies are widely adopted in many new species, it promises to revolutionize the field of neuroethology.

Alcohol and Youth

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guadalupe A. Bacio ◽  
Ty Brumback ◽  
Sandra A. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Changes ◽  
Central Function ◽  
School Based Intervention ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
School Based ◽  
Alcohol And Drugs ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Data Analytic

Adolescence is a period of intense transition and change, from social and emotional changes with increased independence from family to physical changes associated with the onset of puberty. The onset of involvement with alcohol and drugs emerges simultaneously with these interrelated biological, cognitive, affective, and social changes. This chapter considers how developmental processes and emerging domains of functioning impact alcohol consumption in adolescence and presents examples of two lines of research that use integrative models to explore these relationships: the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence, a longitudinal study designed to examine the developmental impact of alcohol and other drug use on neuroanatomy, neurocognition, and behavior; and Project Options, a voluntary, high school-based intervention aimed at reducing dangerous alcohol use. The chapter concludes with a discussion of research questions for future study, highlighting the central function of technological, behavioral, biomedical, and data analytic advances in these efforts.

scholarly journals Crowd Behavior Mining with Virtual Environments

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Ch’ng
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Information Space ◽  
Crowd Behavior ◽  
Real Potential ◽  
Behavior Mining ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Instinctive Behavior ◽  
And Behavior

This article explores ways in which virtual environments can be used for crowdsourcing and behavior mining for filling gaps within the information space of topical research. Behavior mining in this article refers to the act of harvesting the latent or instinctive behavior of participants, usually a crowd, and injecting the population behavior into a preset context, such as within a virtual environment so that the subjective behaviors and the contexts are merged. The experimental approach combines various modalities centered upon virtual environments so as to induce presence in order to bring participants into the context. This approach is new and not well studied; however, it has real potential in research dealing with behaviors and culture in reconstructed virtual environments. Two virtual environments case studies at the 2012 and 2015 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition are presented, which demonstrate that the unique crowdsourcing activity is able to fill gaps within the information space so that answers to research questions can be more complete. Thus, by reconstructing and replicating a lost landscape, and by injecting harvested human behavior into the context of the landscape, we may be able to gather much more information than conventional methods will allow.

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