The chick in experiment: techniques and tests
This chapter describes the techniques and tests involving the use of chicks in scientific experiments, giving an overview of general features that define the birth, survival and physical characteristics of chicks. It then describes the behavioural aspects of chicks that are used in experiments. The chick has a rich behavioural repertoire, much more of which could be profitably used in experiment. Escape responses provide a useful index of the extent to which a stimulus or situation is found aversive or frightening. The behaviours most neglected by experimenters are the calls of the chick, which include short calls, peeps and warbles. Behaviours provide potentially valuable additional measures for learning tasks. The chapter also introduces the concept of learning in chicks. Tests of whether a subject responds more strongly to one stimulus than another may be conducted and analysed in a variety of ways. Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks, which are highlighted in the chapter.
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