COURSE DETAIL
This course examines some features of the disciplines that study animal behavior and focuses on the most relevant methods of investigation. The different aspects of behavior are examined from a comparative perspective and with a particular focus on cognitive and perceptual processes. The course discusses topics including a brief history of ethology and comparative psychology, approaches to the study of behavior, the evolution of behavior, phylogeny and behavior, physiological mechanisms and behavior, learning and cognition, motivation, early experience and learning, comparative cognition, social behavior, living in groups, social cooperation, predators and preys, optimal foraging theory, and anti-predatory behavior. The course recommends students have basic knowledge of general biology, psychobiology, and genetics as a prerequisite.