David Sinn, Ph.D.

Post-docs

CONTACT INFO
E-mail: david.sinn@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: +1 512 782 4342 (office)
Mailing address:
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Psychology
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX, 78712-0187

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

A basic observation is that most, if not all animals, show idiosyncratic behaviours. Furthermore, most, if not all, phenotypic behaviours are sensitive to environmental influences. These two observations form the core of my research interests: to understand the processes involved in the development of animal personality traits, and to translate this understanding into relevant applied outcomes. Understanding the developmental ecology of animal personality traits represents exciting opportunities to progress fundamental evolutionary thinking and enact powerful and realistic applied outcomes.

RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS

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Book Chapters

van Oers, K., & Sinn, D.L. (in press). The quantitative and molecular genetics of animal personality. In “Animal Personalities: Behavior, Physiology, and Evolution”, edited by C. Carere & D. Maestripieri. Chicago University Press, Chicago. *peer-reviewed book chapter

van Oers, K., & Sinn, D.L. (2011). Towards a basis for the phenotypic gambit: advances in the evolutionary genetics of animal personality. In “From Genes to Behavior: Social Structures, Personalities, Communication by Color”, edited by M. Inoue-Murayama, S. Kawamura, & A. Weiss, Springer, New York, pgs. 165-184.

Journal Articles

Sinn, D.L., Gosling, S.D., & Hilliard, S. (2010). Personality and performance in military working dogs: Reliability and predictive validity of behavioral tests. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 127, 51-65.

Sinn, D.L., Moltschaniwskyj, N.A., Wapstra, E., & Dall, S.R.X. (2010). Are behavioral syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behavior in squid. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology, 64, 693-702.

While, G.M., Isaksson, C., McEvoy, J., Sinn, D.L., Komdeur, J., Wapstra, E., & Groothuis, T.G.G. (2010). Repeatable intra-individual variation in plasma testosterone concentration and its sex-specific link to aggression in a social lizard. Hormones & Behavior, 58, 208-213.

McCallum, H., Jones, M., Hawkins, C., Hamede, R., Lachish, S., Sinn, D.L., Beeton, N., & Lazenby, B. (2009). Transmission dynamics of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease may lead to disease-induced extinction. Ecology, 90, 3379-3392.

Wapstra, E., Uller, T., Sinn, D.L., Olsson, M., Mazurek, K., Joss, J., & Shine, R. (2009). Climate effects on offspring sex ratio in a viviparous lizard. Journal of Animal Ecology, 78, 84-90.

While, G.M., Sinn, D.L., & Wapstra, E. (2009). Female aggression predicts mode of paternity in a social lizard. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B, 276, 2021-2029. *this paper was selected for the 2009 Faculty of 1000 Biology and evaluated by Ellen Ketterson

Anderson, R.C., Sinn, D.L., & Mather, J.A. (2008). Drilling localization on bivalve prey by Octopus rubescens Berry, 1953 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae). The Veliger, 50, 326-328.

McEvoy, J., Sinn, D.L., & Wapstra, E. (2008). Know thy enemy: the response of a small native mammal to predators of different co-existence history. Austral Ecology, 33, 922-931.

Sinn, D.L. (2008). Patterns of activity cycles in juvenile Octopus bimaculoides (Pickford & McConnaughey, 1949). Americal Malacological Bulletin, 24: 65-69.

Sinn, D.L., Gosling, S.D., & Moltschaniwskyj, N.A. (2008). Development of shy/bold behaviour in squid: context-specific phenotypes associated with developmental plasticity. Animal Behaviour, 75: 433-442.

Sinn, D.L., While, G.M., & Wapstra, E. (2008). Maternal care in a social lizard: links between female aggression and offspring fitness. Animal Behaviour, 76, 1249-1257.

Moltschaniwskyj, N.A., Hall, K., Lipinski, M., Marian, J.E.A.R., Nishiguchi, M., Sakai, M., Shulman, D., Sinclair, B., Sinn, D.L., Staudinger, M., van Gelderen, R., Villanueva, R., & Warnke, K. (2007). Ethical and welfare considerations when using cephalopods as experimental animals. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 17: 455-476.

Sinn, D.L., Apiolaza, L.A., & Moltschaniwskyj, N.A. (2006). Heritability and fitness-related consequences of squid personality traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 19: 1437-1447.

Sinn, D.L. & Moltschaniwskyj, N.A. (2005). Personality traits in dumpling squid (Euprymna tasmanica): context-specific traits and their correlation with biological characteristics. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 119: 99-110.

Sinn, D.L., Perrin, N.A., Mather, J.A., & Anderson, R.C. (2001). Early temperamental traits in an octopus (Octopus bimaculoides). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 115: 351-364.

Government Reports

Jones, A.C., Sinn, D.L., Gosling, S.D., & Hilliard, S.J. (2011). Military working dog field-analysis questionnaire: An evaluation of MWD training and real-world utilization. NSF Award Number 0731216, “Improving the effectiveness of explosive detection dogs through temperament-based selections”. 100 pgs.

Fratkin, J.L., Sinn, D.L., Patall, E.A., & Gosling, S.D. (2011). Task 5.1 Report – Identification of relevant personality trait consistency in dogs: a meta-analysis. US Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology Directorate, Contract HSHQDC-10-C-00085: “Improving the Effectiveness of Detector-Dog Selection and Training through Measurement of Behavior and Temperament”. 60 pgs.

Sinn, D.L., Hixon, G., & Gosling, S.D. (2011). Tasks 2.2, 2.3, and 3.2 Combined Report – Exploratory factor analysis, internal validity of aggregate behavior scales, and test-retest correlations in the TSA-CBDC behavioral test data. US Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology Directorate, Contract HSHQDC-10-C-00085: “Improving the Effectiveness of Detector-Dog Selection and Training through Measurement of Behavior and Temperament”. 72pgs.

Fratkin, J.L., Sinn, D.L., & Gosling, S.D. (2011). Task 2.4 Report – Establishment of procedures for testing inter and intra-rater reliability. US Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate, Contract HSHQDC-10-C-00085: “Improving the Effectiveness of Detector-Dog Selection and Training through Measurement of Behavior and Temperament.”

Sinn, D.L., Macnab, K., & Sharman, A. (2010). Save the Tasmanian devil free-range project, annual report January-December 2009: Initial results from the first year’s breeding season and recommendations for future planning. Save the Tasmanian devil Program, Hobart, TAS, Australia, ISBN: 978-7246-6528-0.

Other (grey literature and popular press)

Anderson, R.C., Mather, J.A., & Sinn, D.L. (2008). Octopus senescence: forgetting how to eat clams. The Festivus, 40: 55-57.

Sinn, D. 2004. The Southern Dumpling Squid, Euprymna tasmanica. The Cephalopod Page

Sinn, D. 2000 Octopus bimaculoides: Temperament and Behavior. Internet Hawaiian Shell News. June, 2000.
Anderson, R.C. & Sinn, D.L. (2000). Aestivation of Cerion uva (Linnaeus, 1758) on Bonaire. Of Sea and Shore, 23: 22-24.