A Knockout Experiment: Disciplinary Divides and Experimental Skill in Animal Behaviour Genetics

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Animal Behavior
• Philosophy of Science

Background:

• The 1990s saw the advent of gene knockout technology in mice, enabling the study of gene function by deleting specific genes.
• This innovation spurred significant debate within animal behaviour genetics regarding the appropriate methodologies for investigating the molecular basis of behavior.

Observation:

• Disagreements arose between molecular biologists and animal behaviourists on designing, conducting, and interpreting knockout experiments.
• These debates centered on defining a 'well-done experiment' in the context of this new technology.

Findings:

• Researchers' stances on experimental skill were influenced by their training and differing ontological/epistemological beliefs about gene action.
• Assumptions about gene function directly impacted views on implementing experimental controls in knockout studies.

Implications:

• Analyzing skill representations illuminates how animal behaviour geneticists perceive their work as both highly skilled and mechanizable.
• This sheds light on the paradoxical view of laboratory work as simultaneously easy to perform yet difficult to execute well.