Guest Editors
Andrew J. Velkey
Department of Psychology, Christopher Newport University
Dr. Andrew J. Velkey, II (he/his) has an extensive academic background, including an Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology, and a PhD in Experimental Psychology with a focus on Animal Learning and Comparative Psychology, all earned between 1989 and 1997. He joined the faculty at Christopher Newport University (CNU) in 2001, where he is currently a professor of psychology and neuroscience, as well as the director of the Neuroscience Program.Dr. Velkey's extensive work in various areas of psychology and neuroscience has led to numerous publications, conference presentations, and nearly 200 undergraduate student conference presentations. As the principal investigator of "The FishLab at CNU," he has supervised and mentored over 300 undergraduate researchers since 1997. He is a member of Sigma Xi and the Society for Neuroscience. His current research interests include using animal models such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) to investigate reward valuation and choice responding, as well as refining methods for characterizing the social preferences of zebrafish.
Katie Wiens
Science Department, Baypath University
Katie Wiens, PhD (she/her), is an associate professor of neuroscience and a science research coordinator at Bay Path University. Katie earned her BS in Psychology from Kansas State University and her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, where she explored the cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Following her doctorate, she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), investigating heart regeneration and vascular development in zebrafish. Her current research focuses on social choice behaviors in zebrafish, advancing our understanding of neural and behavioral dynamics in social decision-making. She also provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experience throughout the research process, from design to publication.
Collection Overview
This JoVE collection invites submissions on methods for assessing reward-based choice behavior and social preference across a range of species. It aims to deepen our understanding of how individuals make reward-mediated choices, especially in social contexts. Drawing from behavioral ecology, comparative psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, animal welfare, and other fields, we seek to showcase tools and techniques that enable precise, reproducible, and ecologically valid assessments of social preferences and reward-mediated responses.
Methods that capture how contextual variables—such as risk, uncertainty, social hierarchy, or anticipated outcomes—modulate individual choice and/or social preference are of special interest. Methods that advance our ability to measure social bonds, cooperative behavior, and group dynamics in relation to reward are particularly encouraged.
This collection also invites methodological innovations in assessing how environmental and anthropogenic factors (e.g., urbanization, habitat disturbance, climate change) influence reward sensitivity and social interactions. Submissions may include validation studies, cross-species comparisons, open-source tools, or analyses that enhance animal welfare and behavioral assessment in wild or captive environments.
By focusing on methods, apparatus, and measurement, this collection aims to provide a foundation for future empirical work and cross-disciplinary collaboration, advancing the precision and scope of research on reward choice and social preference in humans and non-human animals.
