behavior Flashcards
ethology-
study of behavior
behavior-
anything an animal does in response to a stimulus in its environment
3 categories of behavior
external information/environmental cues
internal information
combination of two
example of external information
change in temp
onset of short/cold weather
threats from other animals, sounds, smells
examples of internal information
hunger, hormones
example of combination of two
mating behavior
adaptive behavior-
contributes directly or indirectly to an individuals survival
innate behavior-
inherited behavior- behavior determined by the hard wiring of the nervous system
individuals inherit a suite of behaviors called what
an ethogram
innate behaviors are-
- heritable- encoded in DNA and passed from generation to generation
- intrinsic- present in animas raised in isolation from others
- stereotypic- preformed in the same way each time by the individual
- inflexible- not modified by developed or experience
- consummate- fully developed or expressed at first performance
types of innate behavior-
automatic response (reflexes)
instinct
what is an automatic response (reflexes)
simplest form of innate behavior, a simple automatic response that involves no conscious control
examples of automatic response (reflexes)
- blinking
- withdrawal reflex- when you touch a hot object you move quickly and pull your hand away
- startle reflex- jump when you head a noise
what is flight or fight
When an animal is physically threatened an innate, reflex, alarm-system in the brain triggers the release of electrical impulses and a variety of hormones that tells us to either run away (flight) or stand our ground and fight.
what happens to the body in flight or fight
-the body speeds up- heart rate, resp. rate, blood pressure
-tense up
-becomes generally very alert
instinct-
a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reaosn
what happens for instinct
-complex patterns of innate behavior
-the entire body participates in instinctive behavior and an elaborate series of actions may be involved
-institute began when the animal recognizes a stimulus and continues until all parts of the behavior have been performed
what’s the difference between reflex and instinct
reflex’s are simple and instincts are complex