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
sensitization
increased response to repeated stimulus (opposite of habituation)
social learning
animal copies behavior of another without having experienced any feedback themselves
- “being a follower”
insight learning
When animal exposed to new situation w/out prior experience performs a behavior that
generates a positive outcome
maturation
some behaviours are not learned, but innate and COME with time like flying
-Stimulus generalization:
conditioned organism responds to stimuli similar but not identical to original
conditioned stimulus.
Stimulus discrimination
involves the ability of the learning organism to
differentially respond to slightly different stimuli
Kinesis:
undirected (without direction) change in speed of an animal’s movement in response to a
stimulus;
- slow down in safety, increases fast when unsafe (teens and police!)
Taxis:
directed movement in response to stimulus. Movement is either toward/away from stimulus.
chemical communication
pheromones. reversible behavioural changes are releaser pheromones, and long term changes are primer pheromones
visual communication
aggresion or courtship
auditory communication
over long distances, through water, and
at night. May be used to warn danger, communicate reproductive readiness, species
recognition, warning agains rivals,
tactile communication
social bonding, infant care etc.
foraging behaviour
like hunting in groups to hide, be vigilant and defend to get food
search images
help animals find favored or plentiful food based on specific and/or abbreviated target ‘image’; ex spotting a police car (black and white search image), book on shelf (color and shape w/out
reading title)
agnostic behaviour
aggression and submission
- comes from competition for stuff
- ritualized so injuries and fighting is minimized!
dominance hierarchy
indicate power so less fighting
I.e pecking order
territoriality
active possession and defense of territory- ensures adequate food/place to mate
and rear young
altruistic behaviour
not just selfless, but helps RELATIVES survive
haplodiplod bees
something about males being haploid, female being diploid and how females are related and can survive if they protect queen rather than try on their own
Reciprocal altruism:
unrelated members of same species help each other [tends to be in
species with stable social groups that are likely to meet again, thus potential future benefit]
Hamilton’s rule:
the principle that for natural selection to favor an altruistic act, the
benefit to the recipient, devalued by the coefficient of relatedness (fraction of genes that are shared on average), must exceed the cost to the altruist.
Appeasement Behavior:
pacifying aggression by showing inferior social stance
Polygamy: Polygyny
– single male w/
many females;
polyandry
single female w/ multiple males
Iteroparity:
repeated reproduction – relatively few but large offspring each time
reproduce, and tend to care for offspring better
