We assume all animal behaviour is an adaptation for survival, but this isn’t always the case. Animals can behave self-destructively, out of habit, or out of boredom, or for other reasons: just as humans can.
E-Learning Structure
The duration of this online course is 100 hours. This consists of 8 in-depth lessons:
Introduction: Influences and motivation
- What is behaviour
- Causes of behaviour (eg. genetics, learning, external and internal influences)
- Reactive, active and cognitive behaviour
- Conditioning
Genetics and Behaviour
- Understanding biology
- Natural selection
- Genetic variation
- Development of behaviour
- Behavioural genetics
Animal Perception and Behaviour
- How animals perceive things
- What stimulates them and how do those stimuli function
- Instinct
- Neural control
- Sensory processes, sight, sound, hearing etc.
Behaviour and the Environment
- Coordination
- Orientation
- Homeostasis
- Acclimatisation
- Circadian rhythms
- Biological clocks
- Reproductive cycles etc.
Social Behaviour
- Animal Societies
- Aggression
- Social constraints
- Social order
- Play
- Biological clocks
- Communication
Instinct and Learning
- Conditioning and learning
- Extinction and habituation
- Instrumental learning
- Reinforcement
- Operant behaviour
- Biological and cognitive aspects of learning
Handling Animals
- Psychological affects of different handling techniques
- Training animals (horses, cats, dogs, etc).
- The student has a choice of which types of animals to focus on, though a variety will still be covered.
Behavioural Problems
- Abnormal behaviour (eg. Psychotic, neurotic);
- Domestication of animals
- Reducing human contact
- Reducing human dependence
Course Aims
- Identify factors affecting animal behaviour.
- Describe the influence of genes on animal behaviour.
- Explain how animals perceive and how they respond to various stimuli.
- Explain the influence of environment factors, such as circadian rhythms, on biological clocks, reproductive cycles, orientation and other animal behaviours.
- Explain the social influences on animal aggression, play, sexual behaviour, communication and other behaviours.
- Describe different ways that animals learn (such as conditioning and habituation) and some effects of learning on behaviour.
- Discuss psychological implications of different handling techniques.
- Identify abnormal animal behaviour (eg. psychotic, neurotic behaviour) and ways to reduce dependence on humans.
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How Does A Warnborough Online Course Work?
You can start the course whenever is convenient for you. You will be studying from home and have access to support from our qualified tutors. Practical exercises and research tasks will be set at the end of each lesson – including an assignment. You will submit this assignment to your course tutor, who will mark your work and give you constructive feedback and suggestions.
If you have any questions please contact us.
