EMPHASIZES CONCEPTS.
Focusing on big-picture concepts and the nature of scientific inquiry, Animal Behavior: Concepts, Methods, and Applications gives students the tools that they need in order to understand and evaluate research examples and develop higher-order critical-thinking skills. Shawn E. Nordell and Thomas J. Valone build each chapter around broad organizing concepts, offering students a clear learning progression and a solid framework for scaffolding their knowledge.

FOCUSES ON METHODOLOGY AND THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE.
Each concept is illustrated using research from the primary literature with an emphasis on the methods of the featured studies. The authors clearly identify the research question, hypothesis, and prediction for each featured study and then demonstrate how the methods allow the prediction to be tested. Many of the data figures throughout the text present means with standard errors, as they would typically appear in the primary literature.

HIGHLIGHTS REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS.
To help students understand the significance of what they are studying, each chapter contains examples of how various people and groups are applying the concepts in animal behavior research to societal problems and issues.

PRESENTS RICH PEDAGOGY.
In addition to bolded key terms, a running glossary, chapter summaries, and thought-provoking discussion questions, Animal Behavior includes:

- "Featured Research" narratives that illustrate and support key concepts in depth

- "Scientific Process" boxes that summarize each step of the research process for selected studies

- "Toolboxes" that explain essential skills or complex terms in the science of animal behavior

- "Applying the Concepts" boxes that show how animal behavior research is being applied to solve real-world problems

- Diverse research examples that represent all major taxa and highlight both