Animals Flashcards
what is a Stimulus
a signal that causes an organism
to react in some way.
what is a Response
an organism’s reaction to a
stimulus. (All animal behaviors are caused
by stimuli)
what is Instinct
behavior without being taught (not
learned); a response that is inborn (coded in
the genes) and performed correctly the first
time.
what is Learned Behavior
change in behavior
based on practice or experience.
what is Imprinting
newborn recognizes and
follows the first moving object they see (e.g., duckling follows human)
what is Conditioning
a specific stimulus or
response leads to a good or a bad outcome
(e.g., Pavlov’s dog, salivate at the sound of
a bell).
what is Trial-and-Error Learning
repeated
practice that results in a reward and avoids
behaviors that result in a punishment.
what is what is Insight Learning
using what you know
to solve a problem.
what is Communication
animals use sounds,
scents, body movements to communicate.
what is Pheromone
a chemical released by one
animal that affects the behavior of another
animal of the same species (e.g., ant
pheromone trail).
what is Aggression
a threatening behavior that
one animal uses to gain control over another
animal. Aggression is due to competition
over limited resources (food, water, space,
shelter, and mates).
what is Courtship Behavior
behavior to prepare for
mating.
what is Group Behavior
beneficial for safety in
numbers and sharing (cooperation) in work,
food, water, shelter.
what is Circadian Rhythms
behavior cycles that
occur over a day (e.g., awake/work daylight,
sleep night time).
what is Hibernation
sleep/reduced activity during
winter in which the need for food has stopped.
