Presentation Details
| From Choices to Breakthroughs: Using Insights from Animal Behavior to Enhance Student Decision-Making Jose G Crespo1, Jose E Crespo2. 1Honors College, University of Utah, Utah United States.2Laboratorio de Entomología Experimental (LEE), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Argentina |
Abstract
First-year college students constantly face trade-offs–how to allocate time, energy, and social resources–yet often lack structured frameworks for decision-making. Animal behavior research models decision-making under real constraints across taxa and contexts, offering a conceptual lens for understanding these choices. This poster presents an instructor’s approach in a first-year Honors course sequence (HONOR 1010/1020), applying behavioral ecology concepts to guide teaching that promotes student self-reflection, decision-making, and critical thinking. (1) Optimal foraging theory frames time allocation and opportunity costs; (2) Life history theory highlights trade-offs between short-term rewards and long-term goals; (3) Reciprocal altruism illustrates cooperation in group work and social networks; and (4) Costly signaling theory reframes how students think about reputation, credibility, and self-presentation. When paired with ethics and critical thinking, these frameworks help instructors support students in engaging more readily with abstract reasoning, making concepts intuitive, concrete, and applicable beyond biology.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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