Where To Start With Ethology Research: A Student-Centered Primer With Examples

Abstract

Instructing students on how to conduct direct observations for the purposes of performing human ethology research can be challenging, given that they may not have any prior training. Here I review an undergraduate course on human ethology, where students carry-out independent projects to test a hypothesis using observational units. I first briefly describe the course, then present three different ways that one may find research ideas (surveys, media, and casual observation), and then present details on the actual assignment I distribute to students. The goal of this paper is to provide support for instructors who are considering adding an observational component to a class, or who may propose a human ethology course at their institution.