1 How did Joshua Klein become interested in crows? What does he hope to accomplish with his experiment?
2 Why do you think Klein chose to experiment with the crows? What does he think that we should focus our attention on to find new innovations? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
3 What is operant conditioning? Describe an experiment that uses operant conditioning.
4 What was the Pigeon Project? How did it use operant conditioning?
5 Describe Klein’s experiment. What steps did he use to get the crows to pick up the coins?
6 Why are crows a good choice for an experiment like Klein’s? What characteristics do they have that make them a good choice?
7 What is the Celebrate Urban Birds Project? What are five of the common species that are found in urban areas according to the project?
8 Based on the information from the websites, do you think that crows demonstrate culture? Why or why not?
9 Describe the Crows. Net project. What are the researchers hoping to learn? How are the researchers gaining their information? Why do you think researchers are using regular individuals to gain information?
10 In Pavlov’s work, how did he get the dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell?
11 Why were Pavlov’s findings important? How did his experiment differ from Klein’s?
12 From the website on Skinner, what is shaping? How did Klein use shaping in his experiment?
13 What are schedules of reinforcement in Skinner’s work? How do these make a difference in an animal’s behavior?
14 What is an urban ecosystem? What are some of the aspects that affect urban ecosystems more than non-urban ecosystems?
15 Why do you think that crows and other urban species are sometimes seen as pests? Do you agree with Klein that we need to think of ways to live in mutually beneficial ways with these species? Why or why not?
1. Joshua Klein became interested in crows after observing them in his backyard and reading about their intelligence. He hopes to train crows to pick up litter in urban areas using operant conditioning.
2. Klein chose to experiment with crows because of their intelligence and ability to thrive in urban environments. He believes that focusing on nature in urban areas can lead to new innovations that improve our society. I agree with this as urban areas often lack green spaces and biodiversity, but integrating nature into urban design can have many benefits for both humans and wildlife.
3. Operant conditioning is a learning process that uses rewards and punishments to modify behavior. An experiment that uses operant conditioning is teaching a dog to sit by giving a treat as a reward when it sits and withholding a treat when it doesn't.
4. The Pigeon Project was an experiment by B.F. Skinner that used operant conditioning to train pigeons to respond to visual signals in order to guide missiles during World War II.
5. Klein's experiment involves placing coins on the ground and rewarding crows with food when they pick up the coins. He gradually increased the difficulty by placing the coins further away from the crows and using different types of containers to hold the coins.
6. Crows are intelligent, adaptable, and social animals that are found in many urban areas. They are also omnivorous and opportunistic, which makes them more likely to investigate and use new food sources like the coins in Klein's experiment.
7. The Celebrate Urban Birds Project is a citizen science project that encourages people to observe and document bird species in urban areas. Five common species found in urban areas according to the project are the American robin, house sparrow, rock pigeon, northern cardinal, and mourning dove.
8. Based on the information from the websites, there is evidence to suggest that crows demonstrate culture, such as using tools and passing on learned behaviors to their offspring.
9. The Crows.net project is a citizen science project that aims to gather data and information about crow behavior and intelligence. Researchers are gaining information from regular individuals who observe and document crow behavior in their local areas. Using citizen scientists allows for a larger dataset and more diverse observations.
10. Pavlov trained dogs to associate the sound of a bell with food by ringing the bell before giving the dogs food. After repeatedly pairing the sound of the bell with food, the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell even when food was not present.
11. Pavlov's findings were important because they demonstrated that behavior can be modified through conditioning, and paved the way for future research on learning and behavior. His experiment differs from Klein's in that Pavlov used classical conditioning instead of operant conditioning.
12. Shaping is gradually modifying behavior by reinforcing small steps towards the desired behavior. Klein used shaping in his experiment by rewarding the crows for increasingly complex behaviors, such as picking up coins from different types of containers.
13. Schedules of reinforcement are patterns of reinforcement that affect an animal's behavior. They can be fixed or variable, and can be based on the number of responses or on a set amount of time. These schedules make a difference in behavior because they determine when and how frequently an animal receives a reward or punishment, which can modify their behavior accordingly.
14. An urban ecosystem is an ecosystem that is located in an urban area. Some aspects that affect urban ecosystems more than non-urban ecosystems include pollution, habitat fragmentation, and increased human activity.
15. Crows and other urban species are sometimes seen as pests because they can cause damage to property or crops, or create noise and mess. However, they also provide many benefits such as pest control, pollination, and ecosystem services. I agree with Klein that we need to find ways to coexist with these species in mutually beneficial ways by understanding their behavior and needs, and creating urban environments that can support their populations.