Animal behavior applied Flashcards
What is behavior?
Actions/reactions of an organism in response to environment (internal or external)
What is Empirical Approach?
Based on observation or experience
What is teleology?
Every animal has a purpose (telos)
What did John Ray study?
Birds (innate behavior)
What did Charles George Leroy study?
Animal intelligence
What did Douglas Spalding study?
Relationship between instinct and experience
What did Charles Darwin study?
Emotional behavior
What does Ethology focus on?
Natural behavior of animals in their environment (mental process of emotion associated with behavior)
What does Comparative Psychology focus on?
Learning and behavior through controlled labatory experiments
What is behaviorism?
Study of observable behaviors and environmental factors that influence them
What condition did Ivan Pavlov find?
Classical conditioning
What condition did John B Watson find?
Little Albert: Experiment on how emotional responses could be conditioned
What did B.F Skinner find?
Operant conditioning and reinforcement
What is an example of classical conditioning?
Bell (neutral stimulus) ringing means food (unconditioned stimulus) makes dog salivate (learning though association)
What is observable behavior?
Behaviors that can be observed (not internal or mental)
What is an example of operant conditioning?
Animal learning to preform specific actions to receive rewards “Skinner box” (learning through consequences)
What is Law of Effect?
Behaviors with satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while those with unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated
What is Animal Training?
Positive reinforcement used to teach animals specific behaviors
What is behavioral therapy?
Derived from behaviorism to treat physiological disorders
What is research experimentation?
Controlled experiments that investigate the relationship between environmental stimuli and behavioral responses
What is Reductionism?
Ignores role of internal mental processes and emotions
What is determinism?
Behavior is solely determined by environment factors
What methods does ethology use?
Observational studies in natural settings (innate behaviors, fixed action patterns, imprinting)
What theoretical basis does ethology use?
Behavior as adaptation to environment and how it contributes to survival and reproduction
What is fixed action patterns (fap)
Sequence of instinctive behaviors that run to completion (triggered by specific stimulus)
What is innate behavior?
FAP in animals nervous system and doesn’t require learning or experience
What is stereotyped sequence?
Predictable unchangeable sequence
What is imprinting?
Learning at a particular life stage that is rapid
What is critical period?
Occurs during specific time window
Once imprinting had occurred it is usually…
Irreversible
What did Niko Tinbergen do?
Formulated four fundamental questions to understand animal behavior comprehensively
What is Mechanism (Causation)?
How does this behavior occur in an individual?
What is Ontogeny (development)?
How does this behavior arise in an individual?
What is Adaptive Value (Function)?
Why is this behavior adaptive for this species?
What is Phylogeny?
How does this behavior arise in the species?
Hormonal triggers and neutral mechanisms are examples of…
Mechanism (Causation)
Imprinting and and Learning are examples of…
Ontogeny (development)
Foraging strategies, territory defense, and mating displays are examples of…
Adaptation (function)
Comparative studies and fossil records are examples of…
Phylogeny (evolution)
What is Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT)?
Model in behavior ecology that helps predict how animals behave when searching for food
What is proximate explanations?
Address the immediate causes of behavior (Causation and Development)
What is Ultimate Explanations?
Address the evolutionary reasons for behavior (Function and Evolution)
What are Proximate factors?
Factors that directly trigger and control behavior (Physiological mechanisms, environmental factors affecting behavior)
What are Ultimate Factors?
Factors related to the consequences or adaptive value of the behavior (Adaptive value, survival value, and fitness)
What is cognitive ethology?
Focuses on the study of animal minds (how animals perceive, think and make decisions in their natural environment)
What is applied ethology?
Scientific study of animal behavior with a focus on practical applications to improve animal welfare, management, and conservation
What is welfare assessment?
Evaluates the well being of animals in various settings
What are the five freedoms?
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom from pain, injury, or disease
• Freedom from fear and distress
• Freedom to express normal behavior
What gives animals behavior disorders?
• Anxiety
• Conflict
• Fear
• Learned reactions
• Genetics
