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Research Interests

My research interests are in animal behavior and behavioral ecology. My research has focused on the evolution of communication, particularly on how signals have been likely shaped through sensory exploitation and by environmental constraints. I am also interested in visual cognition, and how the receiver sensory systems of organisms respond to specific stimuli and process visual information. Most recently, I have investigated predator-prey interactions, social learning, and animal personalities. Some of my studies have employed sophisticated 3D animation, which have been used in staged animal interactions. My study species have included a variety of terrestrial and marine animals, such as lizards, cephalopods, fish, and mantids.

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My teaching interests vary widely. With an interdisciplinary background, I have taught a number of courses across biology, ecology, and psychology. For my appointment at UCF, I will be teaching Animal Behavior, Principles of Ecology, Florida Aquatic Ecology, and Biology II. 

 

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Selected Publications

• Woo, K. L., Burke, D., & Peters, R. A. (2009). Motion sensitivity in lizards: Random-dot kinematograms reveal the importance of motion noise for signal detection. Animal Behaviour, 77, 307-315.

• Woo, K. L., Hunt, M., Harper, D., Nelson, N. J., Daugherty, C. H., & Bell, B. D. (2009). Discrimination of flicker frequency rates in the reptile tuatara (Sphenodon). Naturwissenschaften, 96, 415-419.

• Woo, K. L., & Rieucau, G. (2008). Considerations in video playback design: Using optic flow analysis to examine motion characteristics of live and computer-generated animation sequences. Behavioural Processes, 78, 455-463.

• Woo, K. L. (2007). Computer-generated animal model stimuli. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 6, http://www.jove.com/Details.htm?ID=243&VID235.