⚫︎ Class Description

We all collect data on things important to us. For example, we collect data on our bank accounts, dietary needs, calories, weight, sleep and exercise patterns, educational progress, and so much more. Collecting data on these things allows us to know where we currently are regarding some goal and helps us chart our path towards that goal. In this group class, we will practice setting behavioral definitions, choosing desirable measures for training goals, and taking data. We will practice collecting data and testing definitions by watching videos of real animal behavior. This group class will be fun as we practice refining definitions to be more objective to sharpen our data collection!

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⚫︎ Learning Objectives 

• Given various behaviors, create behavioral definitions that include a complete movement cycle

• Given various measurement methods (listed below), identify direct and indirect measurement of behavior, and state the reason for each

  • Frequency, rate, duration, percent correct, latency, inter-trial time, celeration

• Given various behavioral definitions, revise them to meet criteria of being observable, measurable, includes a complete movement cycle, and examples and nonexamples  

• Given various videos with dogs, talk aloud and decide what behaviors to measure, define and keep revising behavioral definition by doing data collection until we have 90% agreement or more

• Given an on-going training program and data point on the graph, interpret the graph, decide on what to do in the next trial, and/or change any elements of data collection

• Pick a behavior of your animal or yourself, make a behavioral definition, create a measurement system, and make a graph for visual analysis! 

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⚫︎ Instructors