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Mirror‐Image Stimulation Applied to Field Behavioral Studies
Author(s) -
Svendsen Gerald E.,
Armitage Kenneth B.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1935349
Subject(s) - psychology , field (mathematics) , stimulation , variance (accounting) , image (mathematics) , developmental psychology , ecology , cognitive psychology , communication , biology , computer vision , mathematics , neuroscience , computer science , accounting , pure mathematics , business
Twenty—nine adult and yearling marmots were exposed to mirror—image stimulation. Marmots interacted intensely with their image, and the frequency of occuranaces of 22 behaviors was recorded. The four factors extracted from the behavioral data by factor analysis accounted for 88% of the total variance. Three factors were interpretable and designated “approach,” “avoidance,” and “sociability.” Behavioral patterns were stable over time and repeatable. A plot of “avoidance” against “sociability” provides a visualization of the numerical behavioral profile of each animal which is consistent with the interpretable in terms of behavioral patterns observed in the field.