Universität Wien

300116 PP Practical course in Behavioural Biology, Gruenau (2015W)

(social mechanisms) at the Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle in Gruenau

10.00 ECTS (6.00 SWS), SPL 30 - Biologie
Continuous assessment of course work

The practicum takes 3 weeks presence at the KLF in Grünau. Starts every first Mo per month. Due to space limitation a maximum of 4 students ade admitted. Alpine hut style accommodation on the house (linens available, you can also bring your sleeping bag) plus kitchen use for 2¤ per day. We recommend to bring plenty of warm clothing, sun shield and food for 2 days. Also, if you have, bring your laptop (we have wlan), spectacles and stop watch.
300116 (Practicum) and 300117 (Seminar) should be taken together. Please register at both and put the approriate points.

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 12 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes

Assignment of time slots and info re this practicum will be 07.10.2015 um 11.30 am in the Besprechungszimmer der Verhaltensbiologie UZA 1. If you want to do this practicum, olease be there.

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In a three-week practicum (alone or in a team up to 4) a behavioural biology project with greylag geese, Northern bald ibis od corvids is done. After an initial ethgogram and interactive project planning (2d), data taking (approx. 10d), then follows data analysis and writing of the report paper before you leave. Topics are in the area of social organization and cognition in geese, corvids or Northern bald ibis, depending on season.

Assessment and permitted materials

Daily discussions, regular meetings to monitor the work progress and in particular, to discuss the theory background of the actual work, own contribution to the KLF seminar in the 3rd week of the practicum; final report.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Due to space limitations 2-4 students are accepted for the 3 week course in Grünau. In the course of the practicum a research projects shall be planned, data collected, analysed and the final report written, all this as independently and creatively as possible, but in a small team. Thereby, aprroaches and methods in behavioural biology and the biologY of cognition shall be trained and a strong impression shall be generated about the nature of scientific research. Necessary condition to be accepted as a masters student at the KLF.

Examination topics

Ethogram; planning of data taking based on the hypotehses-related questions; quantitative behaviour coding, div. methods of protocolling; literature search; use of different software (excel, SPSS, etc.); practical training in scientific writing.

Reading list

Text books in behavioural biology (e.g. Krebs & Davis, Alcock; Martin-Bateson: Measuring behaviour .. ); a range of relevant original researh papers will be made available in this practicum and in the parallel seminar (300117).

Association in the course directory

BZO 12, BZO 13, B-BZO 12, B-BZO 13, MVN W-1

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:43