Charles Abramson

author of Betty the Boozing Bee and co-author of Animal Ethological Activities and Zoo-scope: Animal Behavior Activities for the National Zoo of Slovenia

November 4, 2015

Dr. Charles Abramson is a Regents Professor of psychology at Oklahoma State University. His teaching interests include Learning and Memory, Comparative Animal Behavior, Biological Psychology and History of Psychology.

While Dr. Abramson's current research involves understanding the neuronal mechanisms of learning and memory (particularly in invertebrate systems), comparative analysis of behavior, and behavioral pharmacology of pollutants and drugs, he maintains an active and diverse line of research.

Betty the Boozing Bee represents a new genre of children's book blending real science with a story. The book describes the problems of an alcoholic honey bee named Betty and is based on actual research using honey bees to study ethanol induced behaviors. A unique feature of the book is the Introduction. The Introduction discusses the problems of alcoholism and the science behind the studies portrayed in the story. The book is not for regular bed time reading but is used when discussing the dangers of excess drinking and alcoholism.

Zoo-Scope is a book of animal behavior activities designed for the National Zoo of Slovenia located in the capitol city of Ljubljana. The goal of the book is to teach grade school students how to the study animal behavior. A unique feature of the book is that all activities are designed specifically for animals housed at the zoo. Students learn about the nuances involved in observing and recording behavior, exhibit design, the role of temperature and diet.

Animal Ethological Activities is designed as a companion to Zoo-Scope. The activities are more complex and not necessarily tied into the National Zoo. The book describes how to create ethograms and conduct learning experiments in Pavlovian and Operant Conditioning.

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2010-honorees/charles-abramson

Last Updated: 8 December 2015