A laboratory animal’s environment can have a dramatic impact on its behavior. For example, rats reared in enriched housing and large social groups are adept at coping with stress. Rodents living in conventional cages, however, commonly show signs of depression and display repetitive behaviors. But aside from studying rodents in the wild, researchers have limited options for […]
For the past 15 years, Peter Kind, professor of neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, has tracked a worrying statistical error: pseudoreplication, or analyzing samples from the same animal as if they were independent specimens. This practice can lead to effects that look statistically significant when they are not. For example, in an experiment with […]
A single mother of two boys with autism is incredibly grateful after a BIG W employee gave her sons some of their favorite toys. Jacqueline says she went to the store with her two nonverbal sons, ages three and five, so they could check out the toy department and choose their favorite toys to give […]
