Author: Tristram D. Wyatt Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198712154 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 169
Book Description
Animal behavior is a central topic of zoology, and with the development of ideas concerning the role of genes as well as environment the subject has been transformed. Tristram Wyatt gives a modern view, including a sense of the power of gene knock-outs, computing, and image analysis to enable detailed experiments and observations of behavior.
Author: Mark Haselgrove Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199688362 Category : Electronic books Languages : en Pages : 129
Book Description
"Learning is a key aspect of animal behavior, and central to survival. Without learning there can be no memory, no language, and no intelligence. Haselgrove looks at the nature of learning, and how it takes place. From the early experiments of Pavlov, Thorndike, and others, to the most recent studies in social learning, he traces the development of the main theories of learning in contemporary psychology, and describes the ingenious experimental approaches used to study learning in both animals and humans."--Provided by publisher.
Author: Barry Stephenson Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199943583 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 143
Book Description
Ritual is part of what it means to be human. Like sports, music, and drama, ritual defines and enriches culture, putting those who practice it in touch with sources of value and meaning larger than themselves. Ritual is unavoidable, yet it holds a place in modern life that is decidedly ambiguous. What is ritual? What does it do? Is it useful? What are the various kinds of ritual? Is ritual tradition bound and conservative or innovative and transformational? Alongside description of a number of specific rites, this Very Short Introduction explores ritual from both theoretical and historical perspectives. Barry Stephenson focuses on the places where ritual touches everyday life: in politics and power; moments of transformation in the life cycle; as performance and embodiment. He also discusses the boundaries of ritual, and how and why certain behaviors have been studied as ritual while others have not. Stephenson shows how ritual is an important vehicle for group and identity formation; how it generates and transmits beliefs and values; how it can be used to exploit and oppress; and how it has served as a touchstone for thinking about cultural origins and historical change. Encompassing the breadth and depth of modern ritual studies, Barry Stephenson's Very Short Introduction also develops a narrative of ritual's place in social and cultural life. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Author: David DeGrazia Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks ISBN: 9780192853608 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 152
Book Description
By presenting models for understanding animals' moral status and rights, and examining their mental lives and welfare, the author explores the implications for how we should treat animals in connection with our diet, zoos, and research.
Author: Tristram D. Wyatt Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 019102094X Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 169
Book Description
How animals behave is crucial to their survival and reproduction. The application of new molecular tools such as DNA fingerprinting and genomics is causing a revolution in the study of animal behaviour, while developments in computing and image analysis allow us to investigate behaviour in ways never previously possible. By combining these with the traditional methods of observation and experiments, we are now learning more about animal behaviour than ever before. In this Very Short Introduction Tristram D. Wyatt discusses how animal behaviour has evolved, how behaviours develop in each individual (considering the interplay of genes, epigenetics, and experience), how we can understand animal societies, and how we can explain collective behaviour such as swirling flocks of starlings. Using lab and field studies from across the whole animal kingdom, he looks at mammals, butterflies, honeybees, fish, and birds, analysing what drives behaviour, and exploring instinct, learning, and culture. Looking more widely at behavioural ecology, he also considers some aspects of human behaviour. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Author: Judith Goodenough Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 568
Book Description
This work contains both contemporary research findings and historical experimental evidence. It includes the topic animal awareness, and there is requisite background material on genetics and other basic molecular topics.
Author: Russell G. Foster Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198717687 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 169
Book Description
This Very Short Introduction explains how organisms can 'know' the time and reveals what we now understand of the nature and operation of chronobiological processes. Covering variables such as light, the metabolism, human health, and the seasons, Foster and Kreitzman illustrate how jet lag and shift work can impact on human well-being.
Author: James Yeates Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198790961 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 161
Book Description
James Yeates covers the history of veterinary science, considering the roles of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in animal health. Discussing recent challenges such as the outbreak of BSE, and antibiotic resistance, he considers the future of the field, and difficulties in balancing the interests of owners and animals when they don't coincide.
Author: Peter Holland Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199593213 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 145
Book Description
Molecular biology has revolutionized our understanding of animals and their evolution. In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Holland provides an authoritative summary of the modern view of animal life, its origins, and the new classification resulting from DNA studies.
Author: Tristram D. Wyatt
Author: Mark Haselgrove
Author: Barry Stephenson
Author: David DeGrazia
Author: Tristram D. Wyatt
Author: Judith Goodenough
Author: Russell G. Foster
Author: James Yeates
Author: Peter Holland
Author: Peter J. B. Slater