Research from Georgia Southern University, Department of Biology reveals new findings on experimental design

March 20, 2007

Research from Georgia Southern University, Department of Biology reveals new findings on experimental design

Investigators publish new data in the report "Spontaneous alternation behavior in Paramecium." According to recent research published in the journal Learning & Behavior, "Spontaneous alternating behavior (SAB), the tendency of an organism to successively turn left and right in a maze, is a standard metric of short-term memory in developmental and pyschopharmacological studies. Although SAB is perhaps the most phylogenetically widespread behavior in motile lifeforms, conflicting data on SAB exist for several sets of closely related taxa."

"For example, previous studies provide contradictory evidence concerning the existence of spontaneous alternation behavior in the protozoan Paramecium. However, these studies tested different species, using very different experimental designs. Using a single, factorial design for both previously tested species, P. multimicronucleatum and P. caudatum, we found that, in fact, the two species do not differ in their alternation behavior; specifically, they alternate in mazes with short tracks, but not in mazes with long tracks. These results are in accord with alternation studies on other taxa, and they fully resolve the apparent contradictions in the earlier studies on Paramecium," wrote A.W. Harvey and colleagues, Georgia Southern University, Department of Biology.

The researchers concluded: "They also indicate that caution should be used in interpreting variable results across species tested with different experimental designs and suggest that, in at least some taxa, SAB may not be strictly dependent on the use of short-term memory."

Harvey and colleagues published their study in Learning & Behavior (Spontaneous alternation behavior in Paramecium. Learning & Behavior, 2006;34(4):361-5).

For additional information, contact A.W. Harvey, Georgia Southern University, Dept. of Biology, Statesboro, GA 30460 USA.

The publisher's contact information for the journal Learning & Behavior is: Psychonomic Society Inc., 1710 Fortview Rd., Austin, TX 78704, USA.

Keywords: United States, Statesboro, Behavior, Experimental Design.

This article was prepared by Life Science Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Back to Marketing & Communications
Back to Georgia Southern University homepage