| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6267009 | Current Opinion in Neurobiology | 2012 | 7 Pages |
Genetics' demand for increased throughput is driving automatization of behavior analysis far beyond experimental workhorses like circadian monitors and the operant conditioning box. However, the new automation is not just faster: it is also allowing new kinds of experiments, many of which erase the boundaries of the traditional neuroscience disciplines (psychology, ethology and physiology) while producing insight into problems that were otherwise opaque. Ironically, a central theme of current automatization is to improve observation of animals in increasingly naturalistic environments. This is not just a return to 19th century priorities: the new observational methods provide unprecedented quantitation of actions and ever-closer integration with experimentation.
⺠Behavioral automation is accelerating experimental throughput. ⺠Automation is integrating behavior with physiology. ⺠Comprehensive observation allows quantitative description of complex behaviors. ⺠Observational methods are being integrated with psychology experiments.
