Janis Wiley Driscoll

Attitudes Toward Animal Use

AbstractFour hundred and ninety-five people completed a questionnaire in which they rated 35 specific examples of uses of different species of animals on a 5-point scale of acceptabilityunacceptability. Ratings depended on both the particular example used (medical research, behavioral research, product-testing research, use for educational purposes, use for luxury garments, or animals as pests) and the species involved. Examples using dogs, cats, or monkeys were rated less acceptable than those using rats or mice, nonmammalian vertebrates, or invertebrates. Examples in which animals were used to make luxury garments were rated the most unacceptable and educational uses of animals and behavioral research were the most acceptable. Ratings of examples were very consistent within individuals, leading to the conclusion that a persons attitude toward animals may represent a unitary characteristic. Gender, age, pet ownership, and religious affiliation were all significantly related to attitude toward animals, a...

Animals in behaviural research

Abstract The value of using animals in scientific studies of behaviour is discussed in the context of recent controrsies about animal rights and the increasing regulation of research that involves animals. The special contribution that can be made by ethologists is emphasized.

Behavioral effects of chronic lead ingestion on laboratory rats

Rats continuously exposed to lead acetate solutions were tested on a visual discrimination reversal problem, on the open field and in 2 shuttle avoidance situations. High lead intake produced slower acquisition of the visual discrimination problem but had no effect on reversal performance. High lead intake reduced activity on the open field and improved performance on both shuttle avoidance problems. Results are interpreted to indicate that the effects produced by exposure to lead may involve an increase in responsiveness to aversive situations.

Attitudes toward Animals: Species Ratings

A questionnaire was used to assess peoples attitudes toward 33 species of animals on six dimensions (useful-useless, smart-stupid, responsive-unresponsive, lovable-unlovable, safe-dangerous, and important-unimportant). A cluster analysis resulted in five groups of animals with similar ratings on these dimensions. Respondents were also asked about their attitudes toward hunting, fishing, and medical, scientific and product-testing research using animals.

Pair behavior and spacing in butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)

SynopsisThree species of butterflyfishes, Chaetodon multicinctus, C. quadrimaculatus and C. ornatissimus were observed over a seven month period on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii. All three species were found to be exclusively paired. However, C. quadrimaculatus and C. ornatissimus pair mates spent less time together and had longer separations and fewer meetings than did C. multicinctus pairs. All three species occupied and defended intraspecifically exclusive territories. Territories were maintained through mutual avoidance with occasional agonistic interactions.

Lead-produced changes in the relative rate of open field activity of laboratory rats☆

Four groups of rats, continuously exposed to one of two lead acetate solutions, ad lib water or a limited amount of water, were tested for three daily 5 min periods on the open field. The effects of treatment on activity, relative to animals drinking ad lib water, depended upon the concentration of the lead acetate solution. Animals exposed to a 10(-4) M lead acetate solution showed increased overall activity while animals exposed to a 10(-2) M lead acetate solution showed changes in the relative rate of activity. Activity was not affected by limiting the amount of water consumed. These findings illustrate the importance of recording activity in a manner which allows assessment of changes in activity as well as absolute level.

Immobilization-produced gastric pathology in wild rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract Seven groups of wild rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) were deprived of food and immobilized in wire mesh cocoons for varying periods of time. Following immobilization, they were examined for gastric ulcers. Minimum immobilization necessary to produce ulcers given that pre-immobilization food deprivation was sufficiently long appeared to be between 12 and 24 hr. Results are compared to those obtained by other investigators using laboratory rats.

The relationship between dominance and spawning inHerotilapia multispinosa (Pisces: Cichlidae)

The outcomes of fights between all possible pairs of same-sexed individuals were used to infer the within-sex dominance rank of six male and six femaleHerotilapia multispinosa. The resulting dominance hierarchies were compared with the order in which all 12 fish spawned when placed together in a large aquarium. Two replications of dominance rank assessment and spawning order were carried out. The spawning order of females was highly correlated with their dominance rank in both replications. Males spawned in a similar order in both replications but did not form a stable dominance hierarchy as inferred from the outcomes of fights. It is suggested that this finding may be due to the importance of site attachment in the agonistic behavior of maleH. multispinosa.

Dominance relationships in femaleHerotilapia multispinosa (Pisces: Cichlidae)

Agonistic interactions between all possible pairings of 10 adult female rainbow cichlids (Herotilapia multispinosa) were observed in three round-robin tournaments. Specific behaviors and color patterns were found to characterize winning and losing fish. The outcomes of agonistic encounters were used to construct a hypothetical dominance hierarchy. This hierarchy was consistent over the three tournaments in that (1) the order of animals in the hierarchy remained relatively unchanged and (2) the relationship between the members of a particular dyad tended to remain stable. The latter was especially true for fish of widely different dominance rank.

Diurnal rhythms of activity in three species of sunfishes (Lepomis spp., Centrarchidae)

Abstract The daily activity cycles of three species of sunfishes (Lepomis macrochirus, L. cyanellum, L. gibbosus) were compared by measuring hourly activity under a 12:12 light/dark cycle with half‐hour dawn and dusk periods. Two different feeding times were also tested. Time‐series analyses showed a strong 24 hour component in the activity cycles of all three species, although an analysis of ARIMA models indicated that green sunfish activity was less predictable from hour to hour than was that of the other two species. The distribution of activity over the light/dark cycle was similar for pumpkinseed and green sunfish, both species exhibiting generally diurnal activity cycles with a tendency toward crepuscular peaks. Overall activity was higher for bluegill sunfish than for green or pumpkinseed sunfish, and bluegills exhibited a higher level of activity during the dark portion of the cycle than did the other two species.