Optimal behaviour sampling and autocorrelation curve: modelling data of farmed foxes

Abstract

Behavioural investigations frequently make use of video recordings. In a typical study, behaviour is recorded during a 24-h period using instantaneous sampling, a method whereby consecutive samples taken from the same animal are autocorrelated. This study sought to model the autocorrelation function and to evaluate the optimal sampling interval for recording periods of different length in farmed blue foxes. The data were based on video recordings. The autocorrelation was found to have two components: short-range and long-range. The range of the short-range component was from 2 to 4 min, implying that an animal continues the same operation without interruption for several minutes. The duration of the long-range component was from 20 to 75 min and was affected by the animal's mental state. The optimal sampling interval was not the same for all the behaviours studied and, moreover, depended on the length of the recording period. If the recording period lasted for 3 to 5 days, the optimal sampling interval was from 10 to 15 min; if, however, there was only one recording day, the optimal sampling interval was from 4 to 6 min.

Using Interval-Based Systems to Measure Behavior in Early Childhood Special Education and Early Intervention

“…Studies using human observers measured a variety of dependent variables for participants with a variety of disabilities; other studies used computer simulations of behavior occurrences. Dependent variables included behaviors such as in-seat behaviors (Powell, Martindale, & Kulp, 1975; Powell, Martindale, Kulp, Martindale, & Bauman, 1977), leisure skills (passing and ball possession during soccer; Schmidt et al, 2013), sleeping or resting states (Jauhiainen & Korhonen, 2005), safety skills (back, shoulder, and feet positioning at work; Alvero, Rappaport, & Taylor, 2011), self-injury (Meany-Daboul, Roscoe, Bourret, & Ahearn, 2007), mother–child interactions (e.g., holding, soothing, feeding, maternal vocalizations, mutual play; Mann, Have, Plunkett, & Meisels, 1991), and stereotypy (Jauhiainen & Korhonen, 2005; Meany-Daboul et al, 2007). Participants included nonhuman animals as well as individuals with and without disabilities.…”

“…In studies attempting to estimate the accuracy of one or more interval-based systems, MTS was widely analyzed (e.g., Alvero et al, 2011; Alvero, Struss, & Rappaport, 2007; Brulle & Repp, 1984; Devine, Rapp, Testa, Henrickson, & Schnerch, 2011; Edwards, Kearns, & Tingstrom, 1991; Harrop & Daniels, 1986; Jauhiainen & Korhonen, 2005; Kearns, Edwards, & Tingstrom, 1990; Meany-Daboul et al, 2007; M. J. Murphy & Harrop, 1994; Powell et al, 1977; Rapp, Carroll, Stangeland, Swanson, & Higgins, 2011; Rapp et al, 2007; Repp, Roberts, Slack, Repp, & Berkler, 1976; Rojahn & Kanoy, 1985; Schmidt et al, 2013; Wirth, Slaven, & Taylor, 2013).…”

A note on overdispersion as an index of behavioural synchrony: a pilot study in dairy cows

“…However, adequate sampling interval probably should have been longer (Bernstein, 1991), because our sampling interval was obviously shorter than the average duration of a lying bout. Some autocorrelation between samples may therefore exist (Engel, 1996;Jauhiainen and Korhonen, 2005).…”

Complex housing environment for farmed blue foxes (Vulpes lagopus): use of various resources

“…The behaviour was analysed from the recordings by using instantaneous sampling (Martin and Bateson, 1993) with a sampling interval of 5 min, as has been recommended for farmed blue foxes (Jauhiainen and Korhonen, 2005). In the behavioural analysis, the foxes' location (section) and interaction with the resources were recorded (Table 1).…”