Get Away

Definition

A discrete (state event) variable that is scored when the focal subject walks away from another subject.

Calculation

The variable Get away is scored when:

▪The speed of the focal subject is greater than or equal to the speed of the other subject

▪The speed of the focal subject or the other subject is greater than the value set as threshold (5 cm/s). This threshold cannot be changed as it is hard-coded.

▪The distance between the two subjects increases.

Note that if the other subject is sitting still, Get away is not scored for the focal subject, no matter what the latter does.

How to specify Get away

1.Open an Analysis profile and in the Dependent Variables panel, under Live Mouse Tracker, click the Add button next to Get away.

2.Click the Receivers tab.

Under Select, choose the subjects that the focal subject moved away from. If you select two or more subjects, select one of the available options from the list:

▪All selected subjects: Get away is scored when the focal subject moved away from all the subjects selected above simultaneously.

▪Any selected subject: Get away is scored when the focal subject moved away from any of the subjects selected above.

▪Each subject: Get away is scored when the focal subject moved away from one of the subjects selected above. The results are displayed for each Receiver.

3.Complete the procedure to add the variable to the Analysis profile. See Calculate statistics: procedure.

Notes

▪To calculate this variable, EthoVision XT checks the subject’s speed at time t based on the change in the X,Y coordinates between t-1 and t+1, like in the original algorithm of Live Mouse Tracker. In EthoVision XT, the Velocity variable at time t is calculated based on the change in the X,Y coordinates between t-1 and t. See Velocity

Example

Subject A is moving to the left, away from subjects B and D. Accordingly, the state events Get away are scored for the two combinations A-B and A-D. The duration of the state events depends on when the conditions listed above are valid for each combination. Because subject C is still, Get away is not scored for the combination A-C.

In the Trial Statistics results table, with the default layout, the results of Get away are shown per subject (on the rows). The columns vary depending on what you chose in the Receivers tab (see above).

▪If you chose Each subject, the columns contain the statistics of Get away from specific subjects (for example, From A to D).

▪If you chose All selected subjects or Any selected subject, a column From all of A, B, C, D or From any of A, B, C, D contains cumulative statistics of Get away when the subject moved away from all the cage mates simultaneously or from any of them, respectively, depending on which option you chose.