Jason Wark

Animal Welfare Scientist interested in the science of animal welfare | Product Manager for the Best App in the World | 💙 data vis and pygmy hippos

[Katie Cronin, PhD @KatieACronin]

For #WorldHippoDay, check out our publication showing how #hippo space use can be used to infer #zoo #AnimalWelfare with @JasonDWark and @ZooMonSupport @LincolnParkZoo
https://t.co/MdIlpbM2PV

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

@KatieACronin @UWPsychology @ESRothwellPhD Couldn’t agree more! I can’t thank him enough for having agreed to be an external member on my PhD committee and graciously offer his expert insights on tamarins and marmosets. His generosity towards colleagues and students is one of a kind!

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

@karlavaleriaCN Reliability testing with your continuous data would be a different ball game as you'd have to also add criteria for how delayed the two entries can be and still be considered "reliable". I think the take home is you should also invest heavily in training

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

(1/6) Observing animal behavior has become more accessible with recent tools like the ZooMonitor app. To ensure multiple observers are consistently identifying animal behaviors, researchers rely on reliability testing as a crucial internal validation process. #AnimBehav2021

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

@kirstyegraham Thanks for the questions! ZooMonitor is very customizable!
You add your ethogram behaviors and specify sampling methods (interval, continuous or all occurrences). Some behaviors were identified more reliably (species dependent), which will help us improve our training.

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

@KatieACronin Close! ZooMonitor is free for accredited zoos, aquariums, and museums and offers a 30-day free trial for all. Check out our subscription plans here: https://t.co/bXAloOzmLM

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

@KatieACronin Great question Katie! We did a negative correlation between session performance and the number of behaviors that occurred, suggesting a potential bias in reliability testing. More research needed!

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

(6/6) Ultimately, live reliability tests may not be practical means to evaluate a full ethogram and should not replace comprehensive behavior training. Supplementing live training with videos may provide an efficient means to train the full ethogram. #AnimBehav2021

[Jason Wark @JasonDWark]

(5/6) Standard reliability protocols may be sufficient for testing common behaviors, but additional strategies are needed for infrequent behaviors. Requiring test sessions include active, diverse behaviors may help address concerns but require more time investment. #AnimBehav2021