Homework #4

Write a one-page essay. It should be typed and either 1.5 or double-spaced. Part of your grade on this assignment is dependent on your writing, i.e., grammar, style, and organization. So spend some time organizing your thoughts, choosing your words carefully, and structuring your paper so that it flows nicely. Be concise and complete. Watch plagiarism issues.

You may feel you need to do some basic background reading in order to fully understand your topic. Try textbooks from other courses first, then seek reference material from the library. Cite your sources.

Find one article in the Current Contents database in Melvyl (aka CDL: California Digital Library) that has been written since 1990 having to do with learning and/or memory in honeybees or a mollusk. (Remember cephalopods are mollusks.) Please turn in a copy of the article you read with your essay.
At least one paragraph should be a summary of the important findings of the paper. Another paragraph should be your opinion or your thoughts on the significance of the paper's findings.
Also discuss the paper's relevance to this course's lecture material. Indicate what you learned by reading the article in a broad sense.

It's okay if you want to do a topic that was directly presented in class as long as you present a fuller understanding of the concept that you gained from reading the article itself.

I highly recommend you read the chapter from "Cognitive Ecology" by R. Dukas that was handed out in lecture (probably Wed 5/31). Think about the ideas presented in this reading when you are critiquing the article you’ve chosen and writing your essay.

Click here if you need help on how to search Melvyl and the link to the Melvyl web site.

DON’T FORGET TO PUT YOUR NAME ON THE ESSAY SOMEWHERE!

Here are some comments I made after reading the essays written by last year’s class for the exact same assignment.

Style comments:
In general, it is better to not right justify documents as it puts weird spaces in between words that causes distraction while the reader is attempting to read the document.

It used to be that you were supposed to put two spaces between sentences (following the period), but now that everything is done on a computer, you should only put one space following the sentence-ending punctuation.

Also, remember that a well-written essay has logical structure at every level: sentences must be structured correctly and paragraphs must have a unifying theme.

Grammar comments:
A very common error I noticed was the misuse of "since" and "while". When you are writing anything formal, or really anything at all, you want to choose every word carefully; you want the words to be best suited to the meaning you are attempting to convey with a sentence. The primary definitions of "while" and "since" involve the passage of time. Ex. "Since I went to the dentist my tooth feels much better." "While my boyfriend rented a movie, I went to the store." It is extremely common to see these two word used to indicate causal relationships. Here is an example of this: "Since my car has been breaking down lately, I decided not to drive it to San Francisco." "Since" should be replaced with "because". The next sentence is an example of an improper use of "while": While Whereas it is technically acceptable to use these words in these ways, you should try to choose different words that more accurately represent what you are trying to say. "Because" is usually a good replacement for "since" when it is being used to indicate a relationship and "whereas" or "although" are usually good replacements for "while".

Theory comments:
One student made an excellent point in his paper and I thought I should let you all know about it; it has to do with teleological thinking. Teleology is (dictionary definition) – the fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose OR the use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomenon. What the heck does that mean? Well, it has to do with using anthropomorphic language and ideology to describe and think about something. In this course that something was an animal's behavior and the neural mechanisms that underlie that behavior. It is a point we should have brought up at the beginning of the quarter, but as the course itself is undergoing evolution we didn't think to bring it up. We will next year however.
[anthropomorphism – an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics.]
Just always try to remember that the way a human perceives its environment is dramatically different from the way any other organism perceives its environment. This is due to the environments being different and, as you now know, the sensory mechanisms that that animal has to perceive the environment are different. So, it is incorrect to think about organisms and how they interact with each other and their environment as being similar to the way we as humans do and, therefore, it is even more incorrect to use anthropomorphic terminology to describe these interactions. Once you become acutely aware of these issues you will see how commonly people in science do it. Teleology and anthropomorphism are found commonly in textbooks and biology lectures. This does not mean it is acceptable. Try to get yourself out of the habit of doing it, even though those around you still do. I've found it's a hard habit to break, but try to make a conscious effort to remove it from your writing, formal or on tests and homeworks, and from talks and discussions you have with others. It will make you a better scientist.