1. Animal Behaviour

Question 1

What is animal ethology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of animal behavior especially as it occurs in a natural environment.

Question 2

What is applied ethology?

Answer 2

◦ The study of the behavior of animals that are under some form of human management
◦ A growing scientific field that is helping to
improve welfare of animals

Question 3

What are the four categories of behaviour?

Answer 3

Reflexive
Instinctive
Learned
Complex

Question 4

Describe Reflexive behaviour

Answer 4

• A body part reacting to stimuli
  EX. Eye bling, knee jerk

Question 5

Describe instinctive behavour?

Answer 5

• Normally hereditary
• Several actions in rapid sequence
  EX. Maternal behaviour such as nest building, licking offspring to urinate

Question 6

Describe learned trial and error behaviour

Answer 6

• Through experience or trial and error
• Pos. experiences increase behavior to be repeated
• Neg. experiences decrease behaviour to be repeated
• Expands instinctive behaviour

Question 7

Describe learned observational behaviour

Answer 7

• All animals, especially young, observe and imitate behaviours
  EX. Kitten drinking water from a bowl after watching its parents
• Learned behaviours are most likely to be modified

Question 8

Describe the complex behaviour

Answer 8

• Includes reflexive, instinctive, and learned behaviour

Categories include; agonistic, reproductive, eliminating, ingestive, shelter seeking, care-soliciting

Question 9

Name the five types of training

Answer 9

Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning (Reinforce + Punish)
Counterconditioning
Habituation (Flooding + desensitization)
Extinction

Question 10

Describe classical conditioning

Answer 10

Training by association. When two things are paired, take on the same meaning.

Clicker = treat

Question 11

Describe operant training and its two sub sections

Answer 11

Animal must choose a certain action to get a reward

1. Trial and error - Random behaviour results in good things, likely to be repeated. Behavior not rewarded, not repeated
2. Reinforcement - Anything that increases behaviour repeating. Pos reinforcement more effective than neg.

Question 12

Describe positive and negative reinforcement

Answer 12

Positive reinforcement - You add something; food, praise, rubbing.
Negative reinforcement - You take something away

Question 13

Describe the four factors that effect reinforcement/punishment

Answer 13

Satiation/deprivaton: A full pet is less responsive to training than a hungry pet

Immediacy: Immediate consequence is more effective than a delayed one

Contingency: Reinforcement should be constant after the behaviour is represented

Size: Humans and animals perform cost-benefit analysis.

Question 14

Describe counterconditioning training

Answer 14

A systematic desensitization where a stimulus is given a different meaning.

Pet is taught desirable behaviour to REPLACE undesirable behaviour. Rewared for new behavior.

Question 15

Describe habituation training

Answer 15

Through repeated exposure to the stimulus, with no negative effects, the animal stops responding

Flooding: animal cannot escape from stimulus, gets fearful but will calm down when there’s no adverse effects.
Desensitization: Little stimulus until no response to action, increase bit by bit until desired result.

Question 16

Describe extinction training

Answer 16

The removal of positive reinforcement for a
previously rewarded behaviour.

Removing attention is not the same as ignoring

Success depends on duration of behaviour, type of reinforcement used, reinforcement regularity.