The dimensions of personality in humans and other animals: A comparative and evolutionary perspective

This paper considers the structure and proximate mechanisms of personality in humans and other animals. Significant similarities were found between personality structures and mechanisms across species in at least two broad traits: Extraversion and Neuroticism. The factor space tapped by these personality dimensions is viewed as a general integrative framework for comparative and evolutionary studies of personality in humans and other animals. Most probably, the cross-species similarities between the most broad personality dimensions like Extraversion and Neuroticism as well as other Big Five factors reflect conservative evolution: constrains on evolution imposed by physiological, genetic and cognitive mechanisms. Lower-order factors, which are more species- and situation-specific, would be adaptive, reflecting correlated selection on and trade-offs between many traits

The Statistical Analysis of Behavioural Latency Measures

This article concerns two important problems with the statistical analysis of behavioural latency measures: they typically have severely skewed distributions, and are often censored (truncated). These problems, however, were not generally recognised by animal behaviour researchers: most people either allot an arbitrary score to all censored values or simply ignore them. Yet, such treatments could easily lead to dubious conclusions because of reduction of power and spuriously significant p-values. Thus, one should always use specially devised survival analysis methods whenever the study involves the measurement of censored latencies. The present article provides a short catalogue of some appropriate references, concentrating on the methods which are not “standard” for the common biomedical applications of survival analysis, but may be crucial in many behavioural studies. The statistical analysis of uncensored latencies is also discussed, with a particular attention to the analysis of variance

Habituation of Predator Inspection and Boldness in the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

This study examined habituation of the predator inspection behavior in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and its relationship with boldness (open field locomotion). Two different strategies were discovered: (1) initial inspection of a predator-like fish, correlated with boldness; (2) subsequent surveillance, governed by a random underlying process and unrelated with boldness. The surveillance inspection is probably linked with anti-predator vigilance. Possible implications to between-population variation in inspection behavior are discussed

Multivariate methods and small sample size: combining with small effect size

This manuscript is the author's response to: "Dochtermann, N.A. & Jenkins, S.H. Multivariate methods and small sample\ud sizes, Ethology, 117, 95-101." and accompanies this paper: "Budaev, S. Using principal components and factor analysis in animal behaviour research: Caveats and guidelines. Ethology, 116, 472-480"\u

Individuality in Fish Behavior: Ecology and Comparative Psychology

This work is a brief review of a series of studies of the phenotypic organization and ecological significance of individual differences in fish behavior. The following species were studied: guppy Poecilia retuculata, lion-headed cichlid Steatocranus cassuarius, and the convict cichlid Archocentrus nigrofasciatum. We developed methods for the analysis of individual differences in fish behavior and studied their structure, development, and ecological and evolutionary significance

Consistency of Skinner Box Activity Measures in the domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Consistency of individual differences in several measures of Skinner box operant and other activity and their intercorrelations in 14 chinchilla bred rabbits were studied. Reliability analysis revealed that both operant and activity measures were highly consistent (Cronbach alpha>0.87) over at least 15 days. Furthermore, locomotor activity, the tendencies to press the lever with high frequency, to make many errors, to check the presence of food in the dispenser as well as rearing were highly inter-correlated, making up a single dimension of activity. However, grooming did not correlate with these behaviors

Indidivual differences in the behaviour of fishes

This is the official printed Russian summary of PhD Thesis, describing a series of studies of the phenotypic organization and ecological significance of individual differences in fish behavior. The following species were studied: guppy Poecilia retuculata, lion-headed cichlid Steatocranus cassuarius, convict cichlid Archocentrus nigrofasciatum, wrasses Symphodus ocellatus, S. tinca, and two species of sturgeons Acipenser stellatus and A. gueldenstaedti. In this Thesis, I developed methods for the analysis of individual differences in fish behavior and studied their structure, development, and ecological and evolutionary significance