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Behavioural biologists don't agree on what constitutes behaviour
Daniel A Levitis1, William Z Lidicker, Glenn Freund
1Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley.
Animal Behaviour
|February 18, 2010
Summary
Defining behaviour in behavioural biology is crucial. A new definition, "internally coordinated responses of whole organisms to stimuli, excluding developmental changes," is proposed based on expert surveys revealing widespread disagreement.
Area of Science:
- Behavioural biology
- Ethology
- Animal behaviour
Background:
- Behavioural biology centers on the concept of behaviour.
- Existing definitions of behaviour lack consensus.
- Understanding behaviour is fundamental to biological sciences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze existing definitions of behaviour.
- To investigate expert understanding of behaviour.
- To propose a new, scientifically robust definition of behaviour.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of published definitions of behaviour.
- Survey of 174 members from three behaviour-focused scientific societies.
- Analysis of survey responses to identify common interpretations and disagreements.
Main Results:
- No consensus found in published definitions of behaviour.
- Significant disagreement among experts regarding the definition of behaviour.
- Survey respondents demonstrated individually variable, intuitive understandings of behaviour.
Conclusions:
- A new definition is proposed: "Behaviour is the internally coordinated responses (actions or inactions) of whole living organisms (individuals or groups) to internal and/or external stimuli, excluding responses more easily understood as developmental changes."
- This definition aims to provide a codified and consistent understanding of behaviour in scientific contexts.
- Further discussion on the implications and limitations of the proposed definition is warranted.
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