Synthetic Approaches for Observing and Measuring Cricket Behaviors

Abstract

When we investigate animal behavior, it is necessary to quantify and to qualify the sequence of observed behaviors. It is also important to compare the behavior with the physiology of the nervous systems in order to understand underlying neuronal mechanisms. Reliable results require experimental repetition that includes consistent controls, because animals do not always respond in the same way to the same external stimuli. Instead, animals alter their behaviors in order to respond to the demands of changing environments. Engineering approaches, in particular robotics, can help us to observe and to provoke animal movements and behaviors. I describe a novel approach that provokes animal movements and behaviors in response to computer simulation and robots. These constructive approaches help us to bridge the gap between behavior and physiology. The performances of the models and robots are discussed, and the accuracies of the models are confirmed by behavior studies with animals. This approach has been named “Synthetic Neuroethology.” This chapter introduces the methods used to observe and measure cricket behaviors. The aim is to understand adaptive behaviors at play in group size-dependent aggressive behavior.