Animal behavior Flashcards
autonomic responses to simple stimuli and are recognized as reliable behavioral responses following a given environmental stimulus
reflex
simple reflex is controlled at the –
spinal cord
simple reflex connects a – pathway from the receptor (afferent neuron) to the motor (efferent neuron)
2-neuron
– nerve innervates the effector (muscle or gland)
efferent
T/F: reflex behavior is more important in the behavioral response of lower animals
true
more complex reflect patterns involve neural integration at a higher level of the – or even the cerebrum
brainstem
alerts an animal to a significant stimulus; can occur in response to potential danger or to hearing one’s name called
startle response
startle response involves the integration of many neurons in a system termed the – which is responsible for sled-wake transitions and behavioral motivation
reticular activating system
– are complex, coordinated, innate behavioral responses to specific patterns of stimulation in the environment
fixed-action patterns
complex reflexes: stimulus that elicits the behavior
releaser
T/F: because fixed-action patterns are innate, they are relatively unlikely to be modified by learning
true
T/F: an animal basa repertoire of fixed action patterns and only a limited ability to develop new ones
true
the particular stimuli that trigger a fixed-actio pattern are more readily modified, provided certain cues or elements of the stimuli are –
maintained
the retrieval and maintenance response of many female birds to an egg of their species, swimming actions of fish, flying of birds are examples of a
fixed-action pattern
daily cycles of behavior
circadian rhythms
animals with circadian rhythms lose their exact 24-hour periodicity if they are – from the natural phases of light and dark
isolated
– behavior will continue with approximate day-to-day phasing
cyclical
circadian rhythms is initiated intrinsically but modified by –
external factors
T/F: sleep and wakefulness are obvious examples of cyclic behavior and have been associated with particular patterns of brain waves
true
response to traffic signals is an example of
environmental stimuli
T/F: environmental stimuli influence naturally occurring biological rhythms and biological factors influence behavior governed by periodic environmental stimuli
true
learned behavior involves – to the environment
adaptive responses
the capacity of the nervous system, (cerebral cortex) for flexibility and plasticity
neurologic development
one of the simplest learning patterns involving the suppression of the normal start response to stimuli
habituation
ni habituation, repeated stimulation results in – responsiveness to that stimulus
decreased
Habituation: if the stimulus is no longer regularly applied, the response tends to – over time
recover (spontaneous recovery)
T/F: in habituation, recovery of the response can also occur with modification of the stimulus
true
– or Pavlovian conditioning in involves the association of a normally autonomic or visceral response with an environmental stimulus
classical
the response learned through Pavlovian conditioning is called
conditioned reflex
in Pavlovian conditioning, the normal innate stimulus for a reflex is – by one chosen by the experimenter
replaced
An established (innate) reflex consists of an unconditioned stimulus, –, and the response that is naturally elicit is called unconditioned response, salivation
food
stimulus that will not by itself elicit a response prior to conditioning
neutral stimulus
during conditioning, a neutral stimulus and the – are presented together
unconditioned stimulus
eventually the neutral stimulus is able to elicit the response in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus and it is then called the
conditioned stimulus
conditioning is the establishment of a – (association with response) by the addition of a new, previously neutral stimulus to the set of stimuli that already trigger a response
new reflex
a critical test of conditioning is the determination of whether the conditioning process is actually – for the production of a response by a previously “neutral” stimulus
necessary
– can be avoided by carefully evaluating all prospective stimuli before conditioning begins
pseudoconditioning
operant or instrumental conditioning involves conditioning responses to stimuli with the use of – or –
reward or reinforcement
T/F: operant conditioning has been successfully applied to responses under voluntary control as well to visceral responses (e.g. changes in heartbeat)
true
experimenter associated with operant conditioning
B.F. Skinner
following – the animal was much more likely to repeat the desired behavioral response
positive reinforcement
animal links the lack of a certain behavior with a rewards; a bird learns that it will receive food if it does not peck on a circle
negative reinforcement
involves conditioning an organism so that it will stop exhibiting a given behavior pattern
punishment
chicken may respond to a light in many watt but if one particular response is rewarded, the rewarded response will occur with a – in the future
higher probability
reward strengthens a specific behavioral response and raises its order in the –
hierarchy
gradual elimination of conditioned responses in the absence of reinforcement (“unlearning” of the response pattern)
extinction
in operant conditioning, the response if not completely unlearned but rather it – in the absence of reinforcement
inhibited
ability of a conditioned organism to respond to stimuli that are similar but not identical to the original conditioned stimulus
stimulus generalization
involves the ability of the learning organism to respond differentially to slightly different stimuli
stimulus discrimination
a stimulus generalization is established after the organism has been conditioned, whereby stimuli further and further away from the conditioned stimulus elicit responses with –
decreasing magnitude
imprinting is a process in which environmental patterns or objects presented to a developing organism during a brief – in early life become accepted permanently as an element of its behavioral environment
critical period
imprinting was observed by ethologist –
Lorenz
critical periods are specific time periods during an animal’s early development when it is physiologically able to develop specific –
behavioral patterns
some animals have a visual critical period so if light is not present – will not develop properly
visual effectors
– interactions occur as a means of communication between members of a species
intraspecific
innate behavior that has evolved as a signal for communication between members of the same species
display
T/F: a song, call, or intentional change in an animal’s physical characteristics is considered a display
true
specific behaviors found in all animals involving complex actions that function as signals in preparation for mating
reproductive displays
a dog’s display of appeasement when it wags its tail is a form of –
agonistic display
social hierarchy in a group of a same species is referred to as
pecking order
pecking order minimizes violent infraspecific aggressions by defining – among the members of the group
stable relationships
members of most land-dwelling species defend a limited area of – from intrusion by other members of the species
territory
territories are often occupied by – and are frequently used for mating, nesting, and feeding
male or male-female pair
larger populations have – territories
smaller
many animals secrete – which influence the behavior of other members of the same species
pheromones
trigger a reversible behavioral change int eh recipient
releaser pheromones
releaser pheromones function as sex attractants, alarm, or –
toxic defenses
produce long-term behavioral and physiological alterations in recipient
primer pheromones
T/F: pheromones shown to limit sexual reproduction in areas of high animal density
treu
