Newcastle University

Research Interests

One area of my research is directed at the interaction between two core psychological processes - conditioning and timing. I am interested in how time interacts with and modulates learning during Pavlovian and operant conditioning tasks.

I am also interested in animal competition. My research focuses on group level processes in an attempt to understand how animals structure contests, asking questions about the role of acoustic and visual displays, contest intensity and outcome.

Funding

Wellcome Trust
The Royal Society
BBSRC

Undergraduate Teaching

PSY1011 Research Methods & Skills II
PSY3097 Undergraduate Research Projects

BIO2013 Animal Behaviour

BIO3022 Biological Field Courses

• Jennings DJ, Alonso E, Mondragon E, Franssen M, Bonardi C. The effect of stimulus distribution form on the acquisition and rate of conditioned responding: Implications for theory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 2013. In Press.
• Tam SKE, Jennings DJ, Bonardi C. Dorsal hippocampal involvement in conditioned-response timing and maintenance of temporal information in the absence of the CS. Experimental Brain Research 2013. In Press.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP. Contest behaviour in ungulates. In: I.C.W. Hardy; M. Briffa, ed. Animal Contests. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp.304-320.
• Briffa M, Hardy ICW, Gammell MP, Jennings DJ, Clarke D, Goubault M. Analysis of animal contest data. In: ICW Hardy; M Briffa, ed. Animal Contests. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp.47-85.
• Jennings DJ. Right-sided bias in fallow deer terminating parallel walks: evidence for lateralization during a lateral display. Animal Behaviour 2012, 83(6), 1427-1432.
• Jennings DJ, Elwood RW, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ, Gammell MP. Vocal rate as an assesment process during fallow deer contests. Behavioural Processes 2012, 91(2), 152-158.
• Bonardi C, Bartle C, Jennings DJ. US specificity of occasion setting: hierarchical or configural learning?. Behavioural Processes 2012, 90(3), 311-322.
• Bonardi C, de Pulford F, Jennings DJ, Pardon MC. A detailed analysis of the early context extinction deficits seen in APPswe/PS1de9 female mice and their relevance to preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Behavioural Brain Research 2011, 222(1), 89-97.
• Jennings DJ, Alonso E, Mondragon E, Bonardi C. Temporal uncertainty during overshadowing: A temporal difference account. In: Alonso, E; Mondragon, E, ed. Computational Neuroscience for Advancing Artificial Intelligence: Models, Methods and Applications. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2011, pp.46-55.
• Jennings DJ, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ, Gammell MP. Third-party intervention behaviour during fallow deer fights: the role of dominance, age, fighting and body size. Animal Behaviour 2011, 81(6), 1217-1222.
• Jennings DJ, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ, Gammell MP. Investment in fighting in relation to body condition, age and dominance rank in the male fallow deer, Dama dama. Animal Behaviour 2010, 79(6), 1293-1300.
• Bonardi C, Bartle C, Bowles K, de Pulford F, Jennings DJ. Some appetitive procedures for examining associative learning in the mouse: Implications for psychopathology. Behavioural Brain Research 2010, 211(2), 240-247.
• Jennings DJ, Carlin CM, Gammell MP. A winner effect supports third-party intervention behaviour during fallow deer, Dama dama, fights. Animal Behaviour 2009, 77(2), 343-348.
• Bonardi C, Jennings DJ. Learning about associations: Evidence for a hierarchical account of occasion setting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 2009, 35(3), 440-445.
• Bonardi C, Jennings DJ. Occasion setting of timing behaviour. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 2007, 33(3), 339-348.
• Jennings DJ, Bonardi C, Kirkpatrick K. Overshadowing and Stimulus Duration. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 2007, 33(4), 464-475.
• Jennings DJ. The effect of chemical immobilization on dominance rank in the fallow deer. Animal Behaviour 2007, 74(4), 1107-1110.
• Jennings DJ, Kirkpatrick K. Interval duration effects on blocking in appetitive conditioning. Behavioural Processes 2006, 71(2-3), 318-329.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ. Is difference in body weight, antler length, age or dominance rank related to the number of fights between fallow deer (Dama dama)?. Ethology 2006, 112(3), 258-269.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP, Payne RJH, Hayden TJ. An investigation of assessment games during fallow deer fights. Ethology 2005, 111(5), 511-525.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ. Win, lose or draw: a comparison of fight structure based on fight conclusion in the fallow deer. Behaviour 2005, 142(4), 423-439.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ. Effect of body weight, antler length, resource value and experience on fight duration and intensity in fallow deer. Animal Behaviour 2004, 68(1), 213-221.
• Jennings DJ, Kirkpatrick K. Relative interval duration and the US pre-exposure effect. International Journal of Comparative Psychology 2004, 17, 143-167.
• Gammell MP, De Vries H, Jennings DJ, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ. David's score: a more appropriate dominance ranking method than Clutton-Brock et al.'s index. Animal Behaviour 2003, 66(3), 601-605.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ. Is the parallel walk between competing male fallow deer, Dama dama, a lateral display of individual quality?. Animal Behaviour 2003, 65(5), 1005-1012.
• MacIntyre T, Moran AP, Jennings DJ. Are mental imagery abilities related to canoe-slalom performance?. Perceptual and Motor Skills 2002, 94(3c), 1245-1250.
• Jennings DJ, Gammell MP, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ. Does Lateral Presentation of the Palmate Antlers During Fights by Fallow Deer (Dama dama L.) Signify Dominance or Submission?. Ethology 2002, 108(5), 389-401.
• Jennings DJ, Hayden TJ & Kent JP. Changes in the structure of the peep vocalizations of female domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) with age. International Journal of Comparative Psychology 1997, 10, 57-73.
• Jennings DJ & Kent JP. Variations in the structure of the peep vocalization of female domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) on days five and six post-hatching. International Journal of Comparative Psychology 1996, 9, 11-25.