Report on Idea Generation through Observation
Introduction
In the scientific world, researchers have the duty to utilize various forms of senses to interact with the environment and to ensure that they can make proper studies and conclusion. They rely on the eyes to conduct the observation and idea generation which is mainly based on the observing the animals. According Yeater, Kuczaj, & Stan (2010), observational learning enables humans to ensure that they know their environment. This was based on the study of the dolphin and it depicted that the study itself evoked stimulus and more interest into understanding the animal. Observational behavior allows the researchers to understand the abnormal behaviours in animals and connect the dots on why such incidences are taking place (Birkett& Newton-Fisher, 2011).
In this case, the research study is about the study of the zebra. In the superficial and phenotypic description, a zebra is an animal that has the black and white stripes, long jaws and a shorter tail. In terms of the body shape, it resembles a donkey especially on the eyes, head shape and the hooves. The animal feeds on grass and it can be described as a pure herbivore. Zebra is a strong animal and it has the pace needed to evade the predators. Just like the donkeys and the horses, the zebra looks friendly to human beings.
This study is dealing with the investigation or research on the animals through their identification and behavior analyses. It is about studying the animals at various locations and arriving at some conclusion by giving the result. The study involves the study and observation of around 50 animals in two separate locations. The primary sampling method that will be used in this study is the Focal Animal Sampling. This sampling method has various conditions or circumstances that have to be met. All the actions or interactions of the individuals must be recorded and this mist indicate the groups of individuals involved in the study. Secondly, a record that documents the activities of the groups and the duration and the time that they are undertaking such duties (Altmann, 1974). In this case, the sampling method will be the Focal animal sampling because it best suits this research study.
The first step in the procedure would involve the identification of the areas to be visited and the decision on the number of animals that need to be targeted in the process. During the observation, some questions that have been developed prior to the study are to be subjected to rigorous comprehension. Such are answered in the result section which gives the outcome of the study.
Results
In the study, there are some questions that are formulated at the preliminary stage of the observational learning. The results of the study are wholesomely dependent on the observed behaviours or the characteristic of the animal. The zebra have the black and white stripes and this applies to all of them. Both males and females have the same body structure and they all resemble donkeys in terms of the body shape. They also look like the horses except for the act that the horses are taller.
Zebra are human friendly and they seem to be easier to domesticate. Even though they form the primary target preys or the carnivores like lions, cheetah and leopard, they have body advantages that can enable them to flee from danger. They have strong hooves, and protruded thigh muscles that perhaps support them to run from danger.
In terms of their behaviors, zebras graze in large numbers when they are in open places. They can be in tens in open places but in twos when in bushy areas. They also tend to graze more next to the water points. Such water points are not only significant for their drinking and rehydration but they may act as protection from danger. This happens when they cross rivers to evade attacks from the predators.
Summary & Conclusion
The study is quite interesting because it helps the learners to understand the hidden social aspects of the animal behaviour. The most interesting aspect of this observational learning process is that zebra has the ability to sense the danger especially from far. When selecting a research question in this project, it would be prudent to look at the topic and the feasibility of the study itself so that they can be guides to achieving the goals of the research. In the event that the predicted phenomenon in the experiment is confirmed, conclusion will be that the study is accurate. But if it is not confirmed, there may be some doubts on the research.
In the study, there are some outcomes that can be used to justify the research study. An observational learning tends to be a lengthy process but it is more practical. Animals have ways of communicating and behaving. As a result, they can respond to the environment such as seeking food and fleeing from dangers based on their communication. Zebras have developed the ability to protect members within the grazing group by joining in large numbers perhaps to intimidate the predators. The study reveals the animal communication and how they fit in their environment.
References
Altmann, J. (1974). Observational study of behavior: sampling methods. Behaviour, 49(3), 227-266.
Birkett, L. P., & Newton-Fisher, N. E. (2011). How abnormal is the behaviour of captive, zoo-living chimpanzees? PloS one, 6(6), e20101.
Yeater, D. B., Kuczaj, I. I., & Stan, A. (2010). Observational learning in wild and captive dolphins. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 23(3)
