13. Animal Behavior + Flashcards
Instinct
- behavior that is innate, or inherited
- ex. care for offspring by female parents
Fixed Action Pattern
- innate behvaior following a regular, unvarying pattern. Initiated by a specific stimuli called sign stimuli and completed even if orginal intent of behavior cannot be fulfilled.
- ex. goose methodically rolling egg back to nest even if it slips away or is removed. Will retrieve any object resembling the egg.
Imprinting
- innate program for acquiring specific behavior only if appropriate stimulus is experienced during critical period. once acquired, it is irreversible.
- ex. gosling accepting any moving object as mother during first day of life.
Associative Learning
- when an animal recognzies events are connected.
Classical Conditioning
- animal perform behavior in response to substitute stimulus rather than normal stimulus
- ex. dogs salivate when presented w/ food. bell ringing with food could stimulate salivation w/ bell alone.
Trial-and-error learning (operant conditioning)
another form of associative learning that occurs when
animal connects its own behavior with environmental response, reward. If response is desirable (positive
reinforcement), animal will repeat behavior. If negative/undesirable (painful, e.g. punishment), animal
avoids behavior (positive reinforcement = add something good to increase a behavior; negative
reinforcement = take away something bad to increase a behavior vs positive punishment = add something
bad to decrease behavior; negative punishment = take away something good to decrease behavior)
Extinction
reversal of behavior in absence of stimulus
Spontaneous recovery
- recovery of conditioned response to conditioned stimulus after delay following extinction
Spatial Learning
Another form of associative learning. Animal associates attributes of landmark with
reward of identifying and returning to that location
i. Ex: Wasps able to associate pinecones with location of nest (lost upon removal)
Habituation
- learned behavior that allows animal to disregard meaningless stimuli.
Observational Learning
- animal copies behavior of another w/o having experienced any feedback themselves.
- washing off potato in water.
Insight
- when animal exposed to new situation w/o prior experience performs a behavior that generates a + outcome.
- ex. chimpanzee stacks boxes to reach bananas previously out of reach
Circadian rhythms
- daily cycles of behavior
Kinesis
- undirected change in speed of an animal’s movement in response to a stimulus. slow down in favorable environment and speed up in unfavorable environemnt
- ex. animals scurrying when a rock is lifted up.
Taxis
- directed movement in response to stimulus.
- movement is either toward or away.
- phototaxis is movement toward light.