Melissa Hughes Archives | Research & Innovation

Professor Rod MacRae co-authors study that finds organic farms are more energy efficient

fmaquito — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Organic farms can be more energy efficient than conventional farms that mass produce crops using unsustainable practices, a surprising result from a study co-authored by a 91��ɫ professor.

Researchers analyzed 130 studies to compare the energy use and global warming potential of organic versus conventional farming. They concluded that organic farms were more energy efficient on both a per-hectare and per-product basis, with the exception of fruit farming and poultry production, where data is limited.

“These findings shake up the concept that ‘bigger’ is always better. Higher crop yields, bigger equipment, less genetic diversity, and more fertilizer and pesticides do not equal a more energy-efficient operation,” says Rod MacRae (left), a professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Critics of organic farming commonly argue that lower yields make it unsustainable in the long term. “As population increases and land availability decreases, it’s assumed that an ‘assembly line’ approach to agriculture is the only way to keep up with our food needs. While this is the dominant way of thinking, this logic is also deeply flawed,” MacRae says. “For example, many regions in the global south show better yield performance with organic farming. Even in North America, organic yields are not far behind conventional ones.”

MacRae points out that there is an enormous amount of waste in conventional systems. Significant amounts of edible food are lost at harvest, during processing and distribution, at retail and in consumers’ homes. “By some accounts, up to 40 per cent of what gets farmed never makes it to our mouths, and this adds enormously to energy waste. This can result in the perception that we’re not producing enough food,” he says.

Studies of conventional and organic grain growers in the prairie region showed significant benefits for organic methods, including 50 per cent lower energy use in a 12-year study of forage and grain crop rotations. The absence of nitrogen fertilizer was a main contributor to reduced energy inputs and greater efficiency. Modelling studies of a Canada-wide conversion to organic canola, wheat, soybean and corn concluded we would consume 39 per cent less energy and generate only 77 per cent of the global warming emissions and 17 per cent of ozone-depleting emissions of conventional wheat farming.

Above: Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables

In terms of dairy farming, a study in Atlantic Canada found that an organic, seasonal grazing system was 64 per cent more energy efficient and emitted 29 per cent less greenhouse gases compared with the average of conventional systems. Cows consuming an organic diet may also have a longer lifespan, increasing efficiency and reducing methane emissions when calculated over time.

Where livestock is concerned, fewer studies exist and comparisons are more difficult because of dramatic differences in operations from farm to farm, particularly for hogs and poultry. Conventionally raised beef is widely accepted as the least environmentally friendly meat, requiring seven times as many inputs for an equivalent output of calories. Organic beef production is considered to be more efficient because the animals consume more grass and less grain than humans can consume.

The study, “The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World?” was published in the journal Sustainability. Its lead author is Professor Derek Lynch, Department of Plant & Animal Sciences, Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

MacRae was also interviewed in about the lack of attention politicians are paying to food policy during the current federal election campaigns.

“None of them really link the food story to health care that well, or to social-policy reform,” said Rod MacRae, a professor at 91��ɫ who is one of Canada’s foremost experts on the subject. “What they’ve done is pick the low-hanging fruit – the things that are more part of the public consciousness right now.”

Still, strong federal leadership in the national food policy process is critical, he said. “The federal role is to act as the animator, the facilitator, and to use its usual package of sticks and carrots to try and get everybody on board.”

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Jennifer Steeves in Centre for Vision Research finds face blindness sufferers better at recognizing voices

fmaquito — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

People who can no longer recognize faces compensate with heightened voice recognition abilities, says a 91��ɫ study, which also finds that our brains may identify people and things on separate neurological planes.

The study, recently published in the journal Neuropsychologia looked at a rare disorder called prosopagnosia, in which the ability to visually identify faces is lost or severely impaired.

Researchers performed a series of experiments that gauged prosopagnosia sufferers' recognition of faces, objects and voices and other sounds, both separately and in varying combinations; the scientists compared these results to those of control subjects with normal brain functioning.

"We were interested in investigating the interactions between different types of sensory inputs," says lead researcher Jennifer Steeves (left), a professor of psychology in 91��ɫ’s . "For example, does seeing a person’s face and listening to them speaking at the same time offer more helpful information to identify that person, or is a single sensory input superior?"

Steeves’ experiments involved a patient who suffered brain damage from meningitis as a child. With extensive lesions on the right hemisphere and most of the ventral visual areas, he was unable to recognize familiar faces, facial expressions, objects, colours or words.

"Quite remarkably, even with these deficits, he was able to hold a job and maintain an independent lifestyle," Steeves says. "We wanted to find out what cognitive functions were compensating to help him achieve this."

In one experiment, participants were required to rapidly learn the identities of 10 individuals, using an image of a face paired with a voice.

Prior to this exercise, subjects were presented with grey-scale images of 110 female faces that had been stripped of distinguishing features. They were also fed auditory stimuli – a 20-second neutral passage spoken in English by one of 110 female voices. Participants were then tested on what they had learned in visual and auditory-only modes, and in combination.

Steeves and her colleagues found that control subjects relied more heavily on visual cues, while the patient with prosopagnosia used auditory information more expertly to recognize people. However, auditory cues didn’t help in identifying objects, leading researchers to believe that our processing of people and things occur in two different neurological pathways.

Untangling this web of sensory cues is important on more than one level, Steeves notes. "Our hope is that it will help not only our understanding of those with brain disorders, but also to understand how healthy brains function," she says.

The study, "Superior voice recognition in a patient with acquired prosopagnosia and object agnosia," is co-authored by Adria Hoover, a 91��ɫ psychology graduate student, and Jean-François Démonet, director of France’s Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM).

Steeves is one of the researchers based in 91��ɫ’s new state-of-the-art Sherman Health Science Research Centre, which officially opened on Sept. 14. She leads the Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory, which is based on the building’s main level. Both Steeves and her lab are part of the .

The research was funded by the and France’s .

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer. Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Soraya Mehdizadeh, undergraduate psychology student, finds Facebook fiends tend to be narcissistic and insecure

fmaquito — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Narcissists and those with low self-esteem gravitate toward Facebook as a self-promotional tool and tend to be heavier users of the site, according to a study by a 91��ɫ psychology student.

Soraya Mehdizadeh of 100 users at 91��ɫ ranging in age from 18-25 years old. Her study, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, found that individuals higher in narcissism and lower in self-esteem spent more time on the site and filled their pages with more self-promotional content.

“We all know people like this. They’re updating their status every five minutes and the photos they post are very carefully construed,” says Mehdizadeh. “The question is, are these really accurate representations of the individual or are they merely a projection of who the individual wants to be?”

Mehdizadeh says she was struck by the fact that those with lower self-esteem were more apt to use this social networking tool.

“I believe the next question to be answered is whether or not the use of such websites could be used to improve one’s self-esteem and overall sense of well-being. This sort of finding may have great implications in the lives of the socially anxious or depressed,” she says.

In the study, five features of participants’ Facebook pages were assessed for self-promotion: the “about me” section, the main photo, the first 20 pictures on the “view photos of me” section, notes, and status updates.

For the purpose of the study, self-promotion was defined as any descriptive or visual information that attempted to persuade others about one's own positive qualities. For example, facial expression (striking a pose or making a face) and picture enhancement (using photo editing software) were assessed in the main photo and “view photos of me” sections. The use of positive adjectives, self-promoting mottos, and metaphorical quotes were examined in the “about me” section. Self-promotion in the notes section could include posting results from Facebook applications including “my celebrity look-alikes,” which compares a photo of the user to celebrities, or vain online quiz results.

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to measure participants’ self-esteem. Narcissism was assessed using the Narcissism Personality Inventory.

Mehdizadeh also looked at the role of gender: she found that men displayed more self-promotional content in the “about me” and notes sections, whereas women demonstrated more self-promotion in the main photo section. No significant difference between the sexes was observed with regards to content in “view photos” or status updates.

The research was conducted as part of Mehdizadeh’s undergraduate thesis in the Bachelor of Psychology program in 91��ɫ’s .

“I thought this was an interesting way to apply theoretical paradigms in psychology to online self-presentation, which is still a fairly new concept,” she says.

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer.

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91��ɫ researchers to develop atmospheric modelling instruments for 2016 Mars mission

fmaquito — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ researchers will participate in a mission probing the atmosphere of Mars for sources of methane, part of the ongoing search for evidence of life on the red planet.

Researchers from the Faculty of Science & Engineering will be part of a team of Canadian scientists responsible for a device that will measure and diagnose components of Mars’ atmosphere. The instrument, dubbed MATMOS (Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer), is a partnership between the , the (CSA) and . It will ride aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a joint mission by NASA and the , slated to launch in 2016.

91��ɫ scientists will engage in atmospheric modelling and analysis, constructing a weather and chemical forecast of Mars that will help analyze the MATMOS composition data to assess the sources of various component gases. Methane was discovered on Mars in 2003 in greater abundance than expected; because the gas is readily produced by biological activity, it is considered a key biomarker for signs of life.

“We’re looking to find out what is the source of the methane – is it biogenic or geological in origin? Much of the methane we see on Earth is life-based. Determining its source on Mars leads us one step closer to the question of whether the planet can support life,” says , professor of atmospheric science in 91��ɫ's Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering and member of the .

Right: Jack McConnell

The MATMOS instrument will look at the atmosphere edgewise, rather than simply from above. This will enhance its ability to see multiple layers of the atmosphere.

“Think of it like looking down from the CN Tower at the smog in Toronto. When you’re peering down through it, the sky usually looks relatively clear. But if you were to look at it from the side, you’d be able to see much more pollution,” he says.

The device also has a high spectral resolution, enabling it to more accurately detect the presence of a variety of gases. Besides methane, scientists will also monitor CO2, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, water vapour and ozone.

McConnell, alongside 91��ɫ colleagues and Jacek Kaminski, will lend expertise to another instrument aboard the ExoMars orbiter: the SOIR-NOMAD (Solar Occultation in the InfraRed – Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery) experiment. They will contribute their knowledge in the areas of atmospheric modelling and cloud formation on Mars.

Left: Professor Jim Whiteway, Canada Research Chair in Space Engineering & Atmospheric Science. Photo courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency.

The Canadian science team includes prominent Canadian atmospheric and planetary researchers from Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto and the University of Winnipeg.

The MATMOS instrument will build on the expertise Canada has acquired from the CSA's SCISAT-I mission, which has been using a similar technique and technology to study ozone depletion in Earth's atmosphere since 2003. The CSA will fund the conceptual phase of the Canadian contribution to MATMOS and has selected ABB Bomem as the prime contractor for the Canadian elements. Canada's contribution will include the heart of the instrument – a detection instrument known as an interferometer – as well as a solar imager and optical components that will collect light for the entire instrument.

For more information, visit the Web site. For more information on the ExoMars orbiter experiments, visit the Web site.

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer. Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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University staff win gold award for media releases promoting 91��ɫ research

fmaquito — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ media relations staff Janice Walls and Melissa Hughes, frequent contributors to 91��ɫ Research News, have been recognized by the annual Council for the Advancement & Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence awards. The pair received a top-level gold award in a worldwide competition for a series of five 91��ɫ news releases that won a gold medal in the News writing category.

The releases won 91��ɫ and its researchers recognition in media outlets across Canada and around the world, including publications such as The New 91��ɫ Times, the Washington Post and news organizations in the United Kingdom and Asia.

The winning entry featured these releases:

Left: Backpack-toting birds were featured in one of five award-winning news releases

The CASE competition covers institutions from the international organization’s North American, European and Asia-Pacific regions. Overall, staff of the University Relations Division and the 91��ɫ University Foundation have won 10 medals in 2010 competitions: four from CASE and six from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (see YFile, May 26).

“These latest awards confirm the respect that 91��ɫ has earned for its expertise in communicating to the world information about our research and our values,” said Jennifer Sloan, vice-president university relations. “I am very proud of the team and the work they have done in partnership with faculty and other University departments.”

Walls' and Hughes' work on 91��ɫ’s media releases can be seen daily on this site, on the University’s main home page and are carried in YFile.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Michael Riddell: Type 1 diabetes affects athletic performance, but shouldn’t deter young athletes if they manage condition

fmaquito — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Research funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Medtronic Canada and Can-Am Care

A new study led by 91��ɫ researchers finds that young athletes with Type 1 diabetes may experience a marked decrease in performance as a result of their blood sugar levels.

Above: The 91��ɫ study found that sport skill performance for young atheletes with Type 1 diabetes was highest when blood glucose levels were in the normal glycemic range.

The study, published in the , reports that participants’ athletic prowess was sapped by low blood glucose, a condition known as hypoglycemia. Their cognitive abilities also declined as a result.

“Physical activity itself is unfortunately one of the factors that can cause this dip in blood sugar to occur,” says lead researcher Michael Riddell, associate professor in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health.

“Parents tend to get quite concerned about this, understandably so,” says Riddell (left), who was diagnosed with the disease at age 14 and regularly engages in competitive sports. “They wonder, ‘should I have my child enrolled in sports at all? Is vigorous activity safe?’ Our results show that those with diabetes can compete on equal ground, provided they learn to manage their condition.”

The study is the first to examine these interactions in a real-life setting. Researchers outfitted participants with 24-7 glucose monitors during a week-long diabetes sports camp at 91��ɫ, testing their skills in tennis, basketball or soccer at various times during the day and recording blood sugar levels. Participants, who ranged in age from 6 to 17, were even monitored as they slept using this new technology. Data for the study was recorded during last summer’s camp; it will run again this year starting July 19.

Researchers found that sport skill performance was highest when blood glucose values were in a “normal” glycemic range. During hyperglycemia – or elevated blood sugar – results were only slightly reduced. This occurred nearly universally across all participants, however results suggest the degree to which one’s sport performance deteriorates depends on the individual.

“Some subjects showed only minor reductions in performance with hypoglycemia while others showed much greater impairment,” Riddell says. “This could be related to the level of blood glucose concentration, the rate at which glucose drops, and the individual’s capacity to maintain focus in the face of all these factors.”

Regular exercise is known to be beneficial for people with diabetes, but can make glycemic control challenging. This balance is even more difficult to achieve in adolescents, as insulin requirements are influenced by fluctuating nutritional intake, physical activity levels, and the rhythms of other anti-insulin hormones. Adding to the confusion is that the symptoms of low or high blood glucose are often masked by exercise, because they’re so similar: increased heart rate, sweating, shakiness, fatigue and dehydration.

“Any obvious issues with performance – poor passing, failed free throws and serves – that are really out of the ordinary should be a warning sign to check blood glucose levels and add carbohydrates,” Riddell says. The best way to boost blood sugar levels is to consume about 15-30 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate, such as dextrose tablets, juice or a sports drink. “These are rapidly absorbed and immediately replenish the very small reserve of glucose normally found in the blood stream,” he says.

Incidents of moderate to severe hypoglycemia were common on the evenings following sports camp participation. However, researchers found no evidence that a bout of nocturnal hypoglycemia influences sport skill performance the following day. Cognitive testing also showed that participants’ reading ability was lower during episodes of hypoglycemia, as was the ability to distinguish and name colours.

Riddell notes the importance of conducting this type of field research, as opposed to lab-based studies. “Actually playing a sport involves different cognitive processing, reaction time and motor skill performance,” he says.

The paper, “Blood glucose levels and performance in a sports camp for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus: A field study” is co-authored by Dylan Kelly, a McMaster University undergraduate student under Riddell’s supervision, and Dr. Jill Hamilton, pediatric endocrinologist, The , University of Toronto.

The research was supported by the (NSERC), Medtronic Canada and Can-Am Care.

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer, with photos courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin..

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91��ɫ researchers find anxiety may be at root of religious extremism

fmaquito — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Anxiety and uncertainty can cause us to become more idealistic and radical in our religious beliefs, according to new findings by 91��ɫ researchers published in this month’s issue of the .

In a series of studies, more than 600 participants were placed in anxiety-provoking or neutral situations and then asked to describe their personal goals and rate their degree of conviction for their religious ideals. This included asking participants whether they would give their lives for their faith or support a war in its defence.

Across all studies, anxious conditions caused participants to become more eagerly engaged in their ideals and extreme in their religious convictions. In one study, mulling over a personal dilemma caused a general surge toward more idealistic personal goals. In another, struggling with a confusing mathematical passage caused a spike in radical religious extremes. In yet another, reflecting on relationship uncertainties caused the same religious zeal reaction.

Researchers found that religious zeal reactions were most pronounced among participants with bold personalities (defined as having high self-esteem and being action-oriented, eager and tenacious) who were already vulnerable to anxiety and felt most hopeless about their daily goals in life.

A basic motivational process called reactive approach motivation (RAM) is responsible, according to lead researcher Ian McGregor, a professor in the Department of Psychology in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health. "Approach motivation is a tenacious state in which people become ‘locked and loaded’ on whatever goal or ideal they are promoting. They feel powerful, and thoughts and feelings related to other issues recede," he says.

"RAM is usually an adaptive goal regulation process that can reorient people toward alternative avenues for effective goal pursuit when they hit a snag. Our research shows that humans can sometimes co-opt RAM for short-term relief from anxiety. However, by simply promoting ideals and convictions in their own minds, people can activate approach motivation, narrow their motivational focus away from anxious problems and feel serene as a result," says McGregor.

Researchers also measured participants’ superstitious beliefs and deference toward a controlling God to distinguish religious zeal from meeker forms of devotion. "Anxiety-provoking threats sometimes also cause people to become paranoid and more submissive to externally controlling forces, so we wanted to rule out that interpretation for our results," he says. Anxious uncertainty had no effect on either superstition or religious submission.

Findings published last year in the journal by the same authors and collaborators at the University of Toronto found that strong religious beliefs are associated with low activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that becomes active in anxious predicaments.

"Taken together, the results of this research program suggest that bold but vulnerable people gravitate to idealistic and religious extremes for relief from anxiety," McGregor says.

The findings, reported in two separate articles, "Anxious Uncertainty and Reactive Approach Motivation (RAM)" and "Reactive Approach Motivation (RAM) for Religion", were co-authored by McGregor and 91��ɫ graduate students Kyle Nash, Mike Prentice, Nikki Mann and Curtis Phills. Both articles appear in the July issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The release was covered in the , The Peterborough Examiner and July 7:

Anxiety can lead people to become more radical in their religious beliefs, a 91��ɫ study says.

Researchers put more than 600 participants in anxiety-provoking or neutral situations and asked them to describe their personal goals and rate their degree of conviction for their religious ideals.

Lead researcher Ian McGregor, a psychology professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health, said a basic motivational process called reactive approach motivation (RAM) is responsible. “Approach motivation is a tenacious state in which people become ‘locked and loaded’ on whatever goal or ideal they are promoting. They feel powerful, and thoughts and feelings related to other issues recede,” he said in a release.

It also received coverage in the St. Catherines Standard July 10:

Anxiety can lead people to become more radical in their religious beliefs, a 91��ɫ study says.

Lead researcher Ian McGregor said a basic motivational process called reactive approach motivation (RAM) is responsible. “Approach motivation is a tenacious state in which people become ‘locked and loaded’ on whatever goal or ideal they are promoting. They feel powerful, and thoughts and feelings related to other issues recede,” he said in a release.

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Gay men's bilateral brains better at remembering faces: 91��ɫ U study

fmaquito — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Gay men can recall familiar faces faster and more accurately than their heterosexual counterparts because, like women, they use both sides of their brains, according to a new study by 91��ɫ researchers.

The study, published in the journal, , examined the influence of gender, sexual orientation and whether we’re right-or-left-handed on our ability to recognize faces. It found that when memorizing and discriminating between faces, homosexual men show patterns of bilaterality – the usage of both sides of the brain – similar to heterosexual women. Heterosexual men tend to favour the right hemisphere for such tasks.

“Our results suggest that both gay men and heterosexual women code faces bilaterally. That allows for faster retrieval of stored information,” says study lead author Jennifer Steeves, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, .

Study participants were asked to memorize photographs of ten faces, and differentiate them from 50 others, shown to them for only milliseconds each. The images were rendered in black and white and edited to remove ears, hair and blemishes, which can serve as obvious identifying cues. Participants then had to relay which faces were new, as quickly and accurately as possible.

Steeves and her colleagues also investigated the influence of hand dominance on such tasks. They found that left-handed heterosexual participants had better face recognition abilities than left-handed homosexuals, and also outperformed right-handed heterosexuals.

Hand dominance is thought to be linked with both hemispheric functioning and sexual orientation; previous studies have shown that homosexual individuals are 39 per cent more likely to be left-handed.

“Our findings are consistent with what we know about the organization and laterality of how we process faces depending on our gender, sexual orientation and handedness,” Steeves says.

Anatomical studies of the corpus callosum, which facilitates communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, also indicate differences in handedness: women and left-handed men have been shown to possess larger corpus callosum and more symmetrical cortices than right-handed men.

“These anatomical differences likely contribute to the more lateralized performance results seen among right-handed and heterosexual men,” says Steeves.

The study, “Sex differences in face processing are mediated by handedness and sexual orientation,” was co-authored by 91��ɫ psychology graduate student Caitlin R. Mullin, and 91��ɫ undergraduate psychology students Paul W. H. Brewster, and Roxana A. Dobrin.

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer.

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Sex, adultery, betrayal, divorce: 91��ɫ prof investigates birds’ clandestine behaviours

fmaquito — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Why do birds divorce? What makes them cheat on their spouses? Why might couples favour one offspring over another? A new book by a 91��ɫ professor delves into these and other aspects of the secret lives of birds.

In , Bridget Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book, published by , hits shelves April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, also explains how understanding birds’ behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Using radio-tracking technology, Stutchbury and 91��ɫ post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden solved a mystery that had puzzled biologists: how were female Acadian flycatchers getting fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away?

“We had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,” Stutchbury says.

Divorce is a regular part of life for almost all birds; most live with one partner for only a few months or years, depending on the species. Annual divorce rates range from 99 percent in the Greater Flamingo to zero in the Wandering Albatross.

“There are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,” Stutchbury says. “One hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.” Another theory is that birds, like humans, realize they can do better: one pair member initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

Left: Bridget Stutchbury

As in humans, divorce can take its toll on offspring, creating a situation where one partner is left to care for eggs or young. “In the worst-case scenario, birds may abandon the breeding attempt and leave the offspring to die in favour of starting over with a new, better partner,” Stutchbury says.

Birds are also known to exhibit favouritism when it comes to their young. They must invest more effort into raising sons, as males are larger and require more food.

“We see birds providing extra food and care to one gender of offspring over another, depending on environmental circumstances,” says Stutchbury. In ye

ars where food is plentiful, some birds may raise male hatchlings exclusively.

In The Bird Detective, Stutchbury also gives a first-hand account of how she and her team became the first researchers in the world to track migratory songbirds from breeding to wintering grounds. Last winter, she published a paper in the journal showing the tiny birds’ astonishing speed in migration, finding that they fly three times faster than previously suspected.

Stutchbury emphasizes that these aspects of behaviour aren’t mere curiosities: they’re crucial puzzle pieces that will help researchers protect birds from threats like climate change, habitat destruction, and other environmental concerns.

“There’s truly a pressing need for behavioural research – otherwise there’s no way for us to know how to best protect species.”

A book launch for The Bird Detective will take place Thursday April 29, at 7:30pm at .

Stutchury is also the author of , which was a finalist for the .

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer, with photos courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Think baby knows when you tease? Study from Centre for Infancy Studies says six-month-olds know difference between play and teasing

fmaquito — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000

A study by 91��ɫ researchers reveals that infants as young as six months old know when we’re “playing” them – and they don’t like it.

Researchers in 91��ɫ’s examined six- and nine-month-old babies’ reactions to a game in which an experimenter was either unable or unwilling to share a toy. Babies detected and calmly accepted when an experimenter was unable to share for reasons beyond her control, but averted their gazes and became agitated when it was clear she simply wouldn’t share.

“Babies can tell if you’re teasing or being manipulative, and they let you know it,” says study lead author Heidi Marsh, a PhD student who worked under the direction of psychology Professor , head of the Centre for Infancy Studies in 91��ɫ’s .

“These results are exciting as it’s the first demonstration that used infants’ social behaviour to successfully show that at six months they comprehend the goals of our actions. Previously, there was only evidence based on visual habituation (observing the pattern of infants’ gazes towards stimuli) which is prone to interpretative issues, and even those results were very mixed,” Marsh says.

Other studies have concluded that this ability doesn’t develop until nine months of age. However, that research used measures which Marsh proposes are unsuited to younger infants.

“A six-month-old as compared to a nine-month-old has different ways of expressing what they know,” says Marsh. “The innovative aspect of this research is that we used measures that are consistent with a six-month-old’s everyday behaviour in order to understand what they comprehend. We recorded their social responses, such as sadness, gaze aversions, smiles and vocalizations, in addition to more physical responses such as reaching and banging,” she says.

The study looked at 40 infants, evenly divided between genders. Infants sat in their mothers’ laps at a table, with the experimenter seated across from them. In half the test trials, the toy was not passed to the infant because the experimenter was unwilling to share it, and in the others, it was not passed because the experimenter was trying, but unable, to pass it.

Infants were administered three tasks: block, mock and play. Each task differed with respect to the toy that was shared and the nature of the sharing game, but in all tasks there was a corresponding unwilling and unable condition. For instance, in the mock task, a rattle was held out toward the infant and then pulled back teasingly (unwilling condition), and a ball was "accidentally" dropped and rolled back to the experimenter (unable condition).

The visible movements of both the experimenter and the toy were matched across conditions, as was the outcome that the toy was not shared. This meant that the main difference between conditions was the experimenter’s intent.

“We also used the experimenter’s facial expressions to convey unwillingness or inability, as they’re important cues for babies to understand others’ goals,” says Marsh.

Infants at both ages averted their gazes during unwilling trials. They also reached more in the unable conditions, suggesting they understood there was a problem and were trying to elicit the adult’s assistance. The nine-month-olds banged their arms in the unwilling conditions, whereas the six-month-olds showed more negative affect, such as frowns, in those trials, and positive affective behaviours in unable conditions.

“Our finding that affective measures are stronger for younger infants may be related to their level of independence,” Marsh says. “As infants become more independent, they decrease affective behaviour such as crying, and increase physical actions such as actively resisting. These distinctions point to the importance of studying infants’ social and cognitive abilities not only over time, but also in paradigms that capture the spectrum of their social behaviours.”

The study, “”, is co-authored by Legerstee, Jennifer Stavropoulos and Tom Nienhuis. It was published online in in January 2010.

This research was supported by grants from the .

By Melissa Hughes, Media Relations Officer.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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