S3E2 Thore Bergman on Updating and Applying Niko Tinbergen's Four Questions

The Animal Behavior Podcast

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Thore Bergman about Niko Tinbergen's 1963 paper "On Aims and Methods of Ethology." They discuss Tinbergen's four questions as well as additional context for each and Thore describes how he has applied Tinbergen's principles to his own work.
After the break, they discuss a paper that Thore and Jacinta Beehner published last year, arguing that the connections between Tinbergen's questions have been misunderstood.
This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Erin Wall, a PhD candidate studying birdsong perception in Sarah Woolley's lab at McGill University.
Papers relevant to this week's show:
Tinbergen, N. (1963). On aims and methods of ethology. Zeitschrift für tierpsychologie, 20(4), 410-433.
Bergman, T. J., & Beehner, J. C. (2022). Leveling with Tinbergen: Four levels simplified to causes and consequences. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 31(1), 12-19.
Credits: The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by a team of animal behavior researchers and audio professionals. Come meet us here! We receive production support from the Cornell Broadcast studio directed by Bert Odom-Reed, and financial support from the Animal Behavior Society.