Behavioral Research Blog

The role of facial expression of emotion in joint activities

How does emotion expression guide interactive value learning and interactive corrective action selection? Dr. Robert Lowe investigated this and shares his findings in this guest blog post.

Discussing uncertainty during cancer genetic counseling

Getting screened preventively to find out whether a genetic predisposition increases the chance of developing cancer, causes great uncertainty. Which communication manners help to deal with this?

Studying shrimp feeding behavior and why it’s important for aquaculture

Shrimp is a popular dish, and these crustaceans are a very large part of commercial aquaculture. Especially Pacific white-leg shrimp, as they grow fast and are able to adapt to a wide range of environments.

Father’s genes affect their offspring’s future success

The early life environment of male bank voles can influence their offspring significantly. Both social stress and nutrient supply have an effect on the chances of survival for two generations.

Screening insecticides for efficacy or tolerance

Maarten Jongsma and colleagues use EntoLab to detect changes in insect behavior that provide a sensitive method for identifying and quantifying resistance development. They tested this approach with pyrethrins against aphids.

Identification of an aphid resistance gene in Arabidopsis

Karen Kloth used EntoLab in her research on the genetic basis of plant resistance to aphids. Genome-wide association mapping of aphid behavior on 350 natural Arabidopsis accessions led to the discovery of a new gene.

High-throughput screening of beneficial insects

Jessica de Bruijn used EntoLab for automated high-throughput screening of parasitic wasps in individual olfactory 2-choice tests. Various behavioral parameters were measured to compute a memory retention index.

Identification of thrips resistance in Arabidopsis

Maarten Jongsma explains how he used EntoLab to facilitate insect choice assays and automate the acquisition and analysis of movement tracks. Two Arabidopsis accessions were tested for resistance to western flower thrips.

How to conduct research with human participants during COVID-19

Are you going to pick up research with human participants again? Here are some useful tips to ensure safety and hygiene in a corona-proof lab.

Decoding memories during day and night

Unraveling the role of protein synthesis in memory storage across the day and night in a mouse model - how researchers are gaining insights into sleep deprivation and its consequences.

CatWalk XT: Valid tool for objective gait analysis in TBI mice model

Many people suffer from TBI and consequently also long-term gait and motor function deficits. For this reason, functional outcome became the focus when developing new treatment strategies for TBI.

Alexa, Siri, Google – Are voice assistants the future of marketing?

Voice assistants – they are found in almost every aspect of our daily lives. Elaine Mathe studied how users interact with voice assistants and what emotions they show in response to played ads.