13 animal behaviour Flashcards
simple reflex
automatic 2 nerve (afferent/efferent) response to stimulus controlled @ spinal
cord (lower animals)
complex reflex
automatic response to significant stimulus (controlled @ brains stem or even cerebrum)
i. Ex: Startle response- controlled by the reticular activating system
instinct
innate or inherited behaviour
Fixed action patterns (FAP)
innate behaviors following a regular, unvarying pattern. Initiated by a specific stimulus called sign stimuli (releaser when between members of same species) like goose rolling egg back to nest if it slips away
Imprinting
- innate program for acquiring specific behavior only if appropriate stimulus is experienced during critical/sensitive period. Once acquired, trait is irreversible. Can influence
sexual selection.
a. Ex: accepting any moving object as mother during first day of life
b. Ex: salmon hatch in freshwater, migrate to ocean to feed, return to birthplace to breed
based on imprinted odors associated w/ birthplace
Associative learning-
an animal recognizes (learns) that events are connected.
classical conditioning
Established innate reflex is unconditioned stimulus (food causing salivation),
natural response to that is the unconditioned response (salivation). association of bell with food is conditioned stimulus that will elicit response even in absence of the unconditioned stimulus. salivation then becomes the conditioned reflex
operant conditioning
trial and error learning.
- also associative learning
- animal connects its own behavior with environmental response,
reward.
- has positive and negative reinforcement
(positive reinforcement),
response is desirable animal will repeat behavior. positive means adding something good to increase behaviour
negative reinforcement
If
negative/undesirable (painful, e.g. punishment), animal avoids behavior. take something bad to increase a behaviour
positive punishment
add something bad to decrease behavior;
negative punishment
take away something good
to decrease behavior)
extinction
Learned behavior can be reversed in absence of reinforcement; behavior no
longer elicits the response
spontaneous recovery
Recovery of conditioned response to conditioned stimulus after delay following extinction
Spatial learning-
- also associative learning
- Animal associates attributes of landmark with reward of identifying and returning to that location
habituation
learned behavior that allows animal to disregard meaningless stimuli
- repeatedly poking with stick ignore lol