317 Final Flashcards
agonistic
any behavior that is elicited during conflict
aggressive behavior, fear, or flight
agoraphobic
fear of new or unfamiliar places
allogrooming
grooming another individual
allorubbing
rubbing on another individual as a form of scent marking and expression of affiliation
altricial
requiring parental care and feeding for survival at birth
anorexia
loss of appetite for food
anxiety
anticipation of harm or danger
associative learning
learning through association between two or more stimuli or events
aversive stimuli
a stimulus that an animal finds unpleasant or painful and wishes to avoid
behavior chain
multiple behaviors that are trained together in sequence and which eventually can be elicited using a single cue
bunting
head rubbing on objects or caretakers
form of marking behavior in cats
castration
surgical removal of the testes in the male
classical condition
type of associative learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes conditioned to elicit a response through repeated pairing with and unconditioned stimulus
clicker
toy noisemaker commonly used as a conditioned reinforcer in dog and cat training
cognitive dysfunction
age-related neurodegenerative disorder resulting in a decline in higher brain functions of learning and memory
commensalism
a relationship in which an individual benefits from associations and interactions with another individual, group or species on a temporary or permanent basis
conditioned reinforcer
neutral stimulus that repeatedly and reliably precedes a primary reinforcer, eventually taking on the properties of the primary reinforcer
conspecific
belonging to the same species or social group
contiguity
the relationship between two events in time and place
paired events
contingency
the predictability of two events occurring together
continuous reinforcement
provision of reinforcement every time a behavior is offered
coprophagia
stool eating
crepuscular
active during early morning and dusk
cue
stimulus that elicits a behavior
desensitization
behavior modification technique that involves gradually increasing an animal’s tolerance to a particular stimulus by gradually increasing the intensity of the stimulus
differential reinforcement
provision od reinforcement only for those behaviors that meet a predetermined criterion of form, frequency, or duration
diurnal
being awake and active during the daylight hours and sleeping during the nighttime hours
dominance
relationship determined by behaviors that allow repeated access to and control over multiple types of desired resources
ecological niche
specific mirco-habitat in nature to which populations or organisms gradually adapt
provides food, nesting, mating, and protection
ethology
the study of the behavior of animals in their normal environment
extinction
the diminishing and eventual termination of a behavior when no reinforcement occurs
extinction burst
a temporary increase in a behavior in response to the removal of reinforcing stimuli
familial
observed within a family lineage
flooding
behavior modification technique in which the animal is repeatedly exposed to an aversive stimulus without opportunity to escape with the intent of desensitizing the animal to the stimuli
genotyping
genetic make up of an individual
habituation
non-associative learning involving reduction in an innate response (fear) through repeated exposure to a non-harmful stimulus
instrumental learning
trial and error learning
intermittent reinforcement
occasional provision of reinforcement in response to a targeted behavior
luring
inducing part or all of a behavior by guiding
marking
deposition of urine to leave an olfactory signal
negative punishment
the removal or withholding of a pleasurable or desired stimulus in response to a behavior, decreasing in a decrease in the frequency of the behavior
negative reinforcement
the removal or withholding of an aversive stimulus in response to a behavior, resulting in an increase in the frequency of the behavior
Neophobia
fear of the unknown or unfamiliar
nocturnal
being awake and active when it is dark and sleeping during the day
observational learning
a form of social learning in which one individual learns a new behavior simply by obsesrving another engaged in the behavior
olfactory
involving the nose and sense of smell
ontogeny
development of an individual from birth to adult
onychectomy
surgical procedure for declawing cats in which the distal portion of the front and sometimes the back digits are amputated
ovariohysteretomy
surgical removal of the female reproductive tract
spaying
phenotype
set of observable characteristics that are determined by genotype
pheromones
hormone-like substances secreted by an individual and which affect the behavior of another individual of the same species
often related to reproductive behavior
pica
consumption of non-nutritive items
piloerection
reflex in which the muscles at the base of the dogs hairs contract and causes the hairs on the back to stand up
positive punishment
addition of an aversive stimulus in response to a behavior that results in a decrease in the behavior in the future
positive reinforcement
addition of a pleasant stimulus in response to a behavior that results in an increase in the behavior in the future
precocial
capable of a high degree of independent activity at birth
primary reinforcer
a stimulus that is inherently reinforcing when provided as a consequence of a behavior
punishment
a consequence that causes a reduction in the frequency of the behaviors that it follows
reinforcement
a consequence that causes an increase in the frequency of the behavior that either attains a desired stimulus or avoids an aversive stimulus
release word
a verbal cue that signals the end of a behavior
sensitive periods
development stages during which an animal is especially sensitive to learning particular types of associations and social behaviors
sexual dimorphism
the occurrence of anatomical difference between males and females of the same species
shaping
modifying behavior by sequentially reinforcing behaviors that progressively approximate the target behavior
social facilitation
effect of group interactions upon individual behavior
socialization period
developmental stage during which young animal from primary social relationships and develop species-specific behavioral patterns
spraying
marking posture used by cats to deposit urine on vertical surfaces
stimulus
change in the environment that evokes a behavioral response
stressor
a stimulus that elicits a stress response in an animal
unconditional response
an unlearned response
unconditional stimulus
stimulus that provokes and unconditional response
xenophobia
fear of strangers
