1. Measuring Behaviour & 2. Abnormal Behaviour

Question 1

Careful assessment and recording of behaviour
is critical and requires:

Answer 1

• Clear operational definitions
• Appropriate sampling techniques
• Appropriate observational methods
• Supporting validation of measures (e.g., pain)

Question 2

Operational definition is what?

Answer 2

precise description of the physical movements (and in some cases their timing), which must be met before the observer records that a behaviour has occurred.

Question 3

Common measures of behaviour (4)

Answer 3

1. Latency: duration of time from some specified event, to the onset of the first occurrence of the behaviour of interest
2. Frequency is the number of occurrences of the behaviour of interest, per unit time
   * It is not a count measure - it is a measure of the rate of the occurrence
3. Duration is the amount of time for which a single occurrence of the behaviour pattern of interest lasts
4. Intensity is the the degree or amount of strength or force that something has

Question 4

Two broad types of behaviour patterns

Answer 4

1. Events: distinct actions of relatively short duration that can be approximated as discrete points in time (e.g. a cough, a kick, a bite)
   * Number of events is the common measure of interest
2. States: activities which occupy prolonged periods of
   time (e.g. walking, standing, lying)
   * Duration of states is the common measure of interest

Question 5

Behaviour sampling techniques (3)

Answer 5

1. Continuous sampling: Full and complete recording of the events and states of subjects during a complete period of time of interest.
2. Interval sampling: Full and complete recording of the events and states of subjects during a specified period of time, at a regular interval (e.g., for 2 min, every 10 min).
3. Instantaneous sampling: The behaviour state of each subject is noted at the exact instant of a pre- determined, at a regular interval (e.g., every 10 min)

Question 6

How can we use behaviour to assess pain?

Answer 6

We can use 3 different classes of pain behaviour:
1. Animals exhibiting choice/preference to avoid pain
2. Change in frequency or magnitude of normal behaviours
3. Pain-specific behaviours

Question 7

how can we set up an experiment to discern if behaviour changes are due to pain?

Answer 7

measure the frequency of a pain associated behaviour

Does the behaviour increase with the ‘painful’ condition?
-eg. Sham + saline vs surgery + saline

Does the behaviour decrease with delivery of drugs that reduce pain?
-eg. surgery + saline vs surgery + analgesia

Does the drug itself cause any changes in behaviour that aren’t related to pain?
-eg. Sham + Saline vs. Sham + Analgesia

Question 8

What makes a good pain measure in experimental vs clinical settings?

Answer 8

• Experimental
  ▫ Behaviours can be rare and retrospective
   differentiate groups of animals
   assessment over extended period without need to modify animal treatment
• Clinical
  ▫ Behaviours must occur regularly and be sensitive enough to identify and estimate pain in individuals in real time
   Accurate assessment in individuals
   Relatively quick

Question 9

what is a normal behaviour?

Answer 9

– Adaptive behaviours that promote health, survival and reproduction

Question 10

In a domesticated species, how do we know if a behaviour is normal?

Answer 10

– Examine:
* Wild ancestors
* Feral individuals
* Domestics in naturalistic situations

Question 11

what are normal, but unwanted behaviours? can we manage them?

Answer 11

• Adaptive behaviours that are inconvenient
• Can often be prevented or managed
• Not ‘abnormal’

Question 12

what is suppression of typical behaviours and is it considered abnormal?

Answer 12

• Physiological or psychological suppression of typical behaviours by external threat/stress/ illness
• Generally adaptive changes in behaviour
• Not abnormal

Question 13

what are vacuum activities? displacement activities? what are these examples of?

Answer 13

– Vacuum activities
* Fixed action patterns performed in the absence of the normal eliciting stimulus

– Displacement activities
* Irrelevant behaviours performed during periods of motivational conflict or stress

=>Behaviours that are out of context

Question 14

3 defining criteria for abnormal behaviours

Answer 14

1. ‘Away from the norm’ or statistically rare, with naturalistic conditions taken as the norm
   – But with domesticated species, not all statistically rare behaviours are abnormal, and not all common behaviours are normal
2. Generally lacking any clear or apparent function
3. Often pathological, either causing harm or resulting from neurological damage

Question 15

what are abnormal repetitive behaviours?

Answer 15

Behaviour patterns that are inappropriate, repeated, and unvarying in either motor pattern or goal

Question 16

two subtypes of abnormal repetitive behaviours

Answer 16

1. stereotypic behaviours
   -repetitive, unvarying and with no apparent goal or function
2. impulsive/ compulsive behaviours
   -repetition of an inappropriate goal with variable flexible goal-directed behaviour

• In many cases, we don’t know enough to differentiate

Question 17

are abnormal repetitive behaviours common in captive animals?

Answer 17

yes, often >80% exhibit

Question 18

how are abnormal repetitive behaviours related to welfare?

Answer 18

• Treatments that induce/exacerbate ARBs also reduce welfare
  – Based on stress-related hormones, avoidance, etc.

Question 19

What causes ARBs?

Answer 19

• Stress and frustrated motivations can lead to:

– Intention movements
* Pacing with confinement

– Redirected movements
* Cross-sucking in calves

– Vacuum activities
* Sham dustbathing in chickens

– Displacement activities
* Preening during conflict in chickens

• When repeated, these might develop into ARBs

Question 20

Can we prevent development of ARBs?

Answer 20

• Rare in nature, with optimal conditions ARBs should be preventable
  – Adequate space – Environmental enrichment to
  reduce boredom and frustration
  – Appropriate social contact
  – Reducing aversive conditions, providing coping strategies
  – Genetic selection

Question 21

ABRs are associated with what part of the brain

Answer 21

• All associated with alterations to basal ganglia and connections to cortex
  – Decision center for action

Question 22

Treatment of ARBs

Answer 22

• Removing stress/frustration may not result in improvements
  – Improvements depend on severity and length of time behaviour has been ongoing
• Treatment should focus on reducing stress and frustration, encouraging natural behaviours
  – Environmental and social enrichment
  – Reducing aversive conditions
  – Pharmacological treatment?

Question 23

Is ARB performance bad?

Answer 23

• ARB performance indicator of poor welfare
• Performance can have beneficial effects, so prevention may be contraindicated
  – Tongue-playing in calves associated with lower ulcer rate
  – Pacing in hens associated with reduced glucocorticoids
• However, prevention may be necessary if causing injury and harm

Question 24

What do ARBs indicate about current welfare?

Answer 24

depends:

• How long have they been ongoing?
• How much of the time budget is spent on ARBs?
• Is there underlying pathology?
• Is the ARB causing damage?