Behavior Flashcards
His theories laid the foundation for classical ethology
Charles Darwin
The science of animal behavior
Ethology
Evolution
Slow change and development that gradually leads to new species
Species
Group of similar living organisms that can exchange genes and produce young
Instinct
Combination of innate responses characteristic of a species
Natural selection
Process that awards survival and reproductive success to individuals and groups best adjusted to their environment
Classical ethology
Belief that much of what animals know is instinctive
Pavlov’s role in study of animal behavior
Questioned the role of instinct, his experiments with dogs and learned association helped found the school of animal psychology
Involuntary (or unconditioned) response
A simple reflex behavior
Unconditioned stimulus
Stimulus that produces a response that is not taught
Behaviorism
Theory that behavior is learned rather than genetically programmed and that animals are born essentially blank slates
Role of John B Watson in animal behavior
Proposed an approach to psychology based on objective laboratory procedures, formulated the stimulus-response theory
Stimulus-response theory
All complex forms of behavior, including emotions, thoughts and habits are complex muscular and glandular responses that can be observed and measured
Stimulus responses
Muscular and glandular responses that can be observed and measured
Behaviorists categories of conditioned learning
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
Associating stimuli happening at approximately the same time or roughly the same area
Operant conditioning
Association of activity with punishment or reward
BF Skinner’s role in study of animal behavior
Experiment on operant conditioning with caged rats, rats learned they would be rewarded when touching specific bars of the cage
Trial-and-error learning
Instrumental learning
What is sociobiology and what does it assert?
Study of biological basis of social behavior, asserts that complex social patterns follow natural selection
Stereotypical or predictable behaviors
Fixed action patterns
An animals natural and inherent ability to performs tasks, genetically coded responses to environmental stimuli
Instinct
Positive reinforcement
Immediate pleasant occurrence that follows a wanted behavior
Negative reinforcement
Removal of any immediate unpleasant occurrence to increase desired behavior
Positive punishment
Adding undesirable occurrence to decrease a behavior
Negative punishment
Removing a desirable occurrence to decrease a behavior
Can result from inappropriate use of punishment
Aggression
Age of socialization period in cats and dogs
Dogs: 4-14 wk
Cats: 2-8 wk
Pain punishment and adverse attention can cause permanent psychological damage during this phase
The fear period
Age of fear period
8-10 wk and 6-14 months in dogs
Role of Lorenz in study of animal behavior
Lorenz discovered imprinting, a process in which a young animal follows its parent or other object due to auditory or visual cues
Sensitive period
2-3rd to 12th week after birth, cats and dogs learn to adapt to humans and other animals they encounter
Animal can become fearful if not properly introduced to their own and other species during this phase
Socialization period
Can help reduce risk of some types of hormone driven aggression.
Castration
Can help with human imprinting of small animals
Hand-feeding
May be linked to development of separation anxiety
- Extended periods away from an owner
- coming from an animal shelter
Symptoms of separation anxiety
Manifest only when owner is away
- excessive vocalization
- destructive behavior
- inappropriate elimination
- anorexia
- hyperactivity or inactivity
- panting
- hypersalivation
- vomiting
- diarrhea
Conflict-related aggression
Occurs when a dog is exposed to an uncomfortable or uncertain stimulus. Arises from an inconsistent or unpredictable environment. Common in households with punishment-based training methods.
Fear-induced aggression
Occurs when animal is in a situation it can’t escape and perceives as threatening. Can be due to loud noises, children or specific individuals. Withdrawing from a pet exhibiting fear aggression reinforces the behavior.
Predatory aggression
This type of aggression doesn’t come with a warning. Animal usually stalks its prey before pouncing..
Pain-induced aggression
Protective instinct to bite if pain is inflicted. Problems with aggression can continue after painful stimulus is gone.
Inter-male aggression
Testosterone-driven instinct that is nearly eliminated by castration. Behavioral medication may be recommended when castration doesn’t eliminate the problem
Territorial aggression
Dogs tend to be aggressive toward humans who aren’t members of their household while cats tend to be aggressive toward other cats in their perceived territory.
Maternal aggression
Can occur post-parturition to protect young from danger
At this age, males can begin to spray to mark their territory and call attention to themselves. Females may also spray.
During sexual maturity at 7 or 8 months
Reasons a bird may bite
Fear, excitement, aggression
Birds can be persistently aggressive and unsuitable as pets for this reason
Birds imprint at a very early age so it is very hard to remedy aggression due to poor socialization or abuse by humans
Best approach to handling rodents
Form a scoop with both hands underneath the animal, making sure it is fully awake
These rodents will usually fight to the death after reaching sexual maturity
Hamsters
These rodents can be affectionate towards one another but it’s almost impossible to reconcile one they’ve reached a tight-ball stage.
Gerbils
These rodents can usually live together in colonies but have a high breeding rate and are best separated by sex
Mice
Most critical element of behavior modification
Reward (edible or vocal)
How long should initial behavior modification classes last.
No more than 5 minutes
What does clapping or a loud whistle do in terms of modifying behavior
Associates the physical sensations of a racing heart and burst of adrenaline with a behavior. Must be immediate and best accompanied with “no”
Best method of behavioral intervention for birds
Environmental modification
Proper response to a bird clamping down too roughly when exploring
A simple “Ouch” as shouting may startle it and pulling away may reward the bird by giving it a sense of power over human handler
Wobble
One of the best ways to correct a bird’s biting habit. Dropping the hand a few inches immediately after biting so the bird associates the biting with the feeling of disorientation
Best way to deal with behavioral concerns in rodents
It’s best to consult a board-certified exotic veterinary specialist as rodents are delicate animals and mostly bite out of fear not viciousness
Command-response-reward
Immediately rewarding desired behavior after a command is given. This technique does not use punishment
Clicker training
- Associate sound of clicker with reward
- Use clicker to signal that right behavior was performed and reward will be received
Extinction training
Eliminating problem behavior by completely removing the reinforcement for the behavior.
Aversion therapy
Creating a relationship between an unpleasant stimulus and an object that an animal may be marking, chewing, or otherwise damaging.
Avoidance therapy
Negative reinforcement to diminish a problem behavior. Link the behavior with an unpleasant event in order to avoid circumstance. Must not associate unpleasant event with owner.
Habituation
Surrounding the animal with stimulus causing the problem until the animal becomes acclimated. Used to treat minor behavior problems and not those that cause aggressive or moderate to severe fear.
Punishment (behavior modification)
To eliminate undesired behavior. Must occur every time the behavior occurs and be of appropriate intensity. Not currently recommended for behavior modification. Should never be used to treat aggression.
Counterconditioning
Taking a stimulus linked to a negative emotion and reconditioning the animal by linking it to a positive emotional response. Can replace an undesirable behavior with a desirable one. Sometimes used in conjunction with desensitization.
Desensitization
Diminishing a behavior by gradually exposing the animal to the stimulus that produces the inappropriate response.
Pharmaceutical behavioral therapy
Should be considered only after other methods have failed and medical causes have been ruled out. Antidepressants, nutraceuticals and prescription diets may reduce stress and assist in behavior modification
