Behavior Flashcards
Charles Darwin’s complete theory on evolution was published in _____, in a book entitled ______.
1859
On the Origin of Species
____ is the study of animal behavior.
Ethology
In On the Origin of Species, Darwin devoted an entire chapter to animal behavior, most of which he believed was generated by _______.
A combination of unlearned responses characteristic of a species, or instinct.
Define natural selection.
The process that awards survival and reproductive success to individuals and groups best adjusted to their environment.
Classical ethology asserts ____.
That much of what animals know is instinctive, or innate.
One example of classical ethology.
Birds don’t learn how to fly; a chick merely delays flight until it’s strong enough to support itself in the air.
Digger wasp
Define unconditioned response.
A simple reflex behavior.
Examples of an unconditioned response.
The hammer tapping on the patients knee causing a knee-jerk reflex.
Salivation at the sight of food.
Examples of an unconditioned response.
The hammer tapping on the patients knee causing a knee-jerk reflex.
Salivation at the sight of food.
Define unconditioned stimulus.
Something that produces an unconditioned response.
Define conditioned stimulus.
Something that produces a conditioned response.
Define stimulus-response.
Muscular and glandular responses that we can observe and measure.
Behaviorism originated with American psychologist _______, who proposed and approach to psychology based on objective laboratory procedures. His experiments led him to formulate a ________ theory of psychology.
John B. Watson
stimulus-response
Define behaviorism.
Behavior is learned rather than genetically programmed.
Behaviorism originated with American psychologist _______, who proposed and approach to psychology based on objective laboratory procedures. His experiments led him to formulate a ________ theory of psychology.
John B. Watson
stimulus-response
The foremost expert on the mechanism of operant conditioning was the American psychologist ______. A classic example of experiments he devised involved _______.
B. F. Skinner
Teaching a rat to press a bar for food.
Define classical conditioning.
Associating stimuli that happens at the same time or the same area.
Define operant conditioning.
Associating an activity with punishment or reward.
Define sociobiology.
The study of social organization in animals.
Sociobiologists theorize that _____.
Complex social patterns arise, develop, and sometimes even disappear based on their survival value.
Define fixed action patterns.
Stereotypical or predictable behaviors.
One example of a fixed action pattern.
Many adult birds automatically regurgitate predigested food when chicks peck at a certain spot on the underside of the parent’s beak.
Define instinct.
Natural and inherent ability of an animal to perform tasks like hunting, feeding, and mating.
One example of instincts.
Honeybees have an innate capability to navigate from food sources to its hive.
Define positive reinforcement.
Rewarding good behavior with an immediate pleasant occurrence (within 20 seconds of behavior).
Define negative reinforcement.
An upleasant occurrence used to create a desired behavior.
Define punishment.
An unpleasant occurrence used to eliminate an undesirable behavior.
Define positive punishment and provide an example.
Adding an undesirable occurrence to decreased a behavior.
A dog wearing a shock collar and each time it begs at the dinner table it gets a shock.
Define negative punishment and provide and example.
Removing a desirable occurrence to decrease a behavior.
A dog begging at the dinner table that is ignored by the owner but when the dog stops begging, a treat is placed in the dog’s food bowl as a reward.
For punishment to be effective it must:
1 Occur every time the behavior occurs
2 Be applied immediately
3 Be of appropriate intensity
4 Not be associated with the owner
Define imprinting.
A rapid learning process that enables the very young to recognize and bond with its caretaker.
Define sensitive period.
Period of time when imprinting occurs.
Among cats and dogs, the sensitive period typically extends from _____.
The second or third to the 12th week after birth.
True or false?
Classical ethologists proposed that most animal behavior was instinctive.
TRUE
The survival value of certain types of behavior is often referred to as it’s:
Function
Who is considered the foremost expert on the mechanism of operant conditioning?
B. F. Skinner
Please briefly describe Pavlov’s famous experiment in classical conditioning.
Pavlov discovered that dogs automatically begin to salivate at the site of food. If he always rang a bell when he offered food, the dogs began slowly to associate unrelated stimulus with food. In time, the sound of the bell alone would cause the dogs to salivate. Pavlov thereby concluded that the dogs had actually learned to associate an unrelated stimulus with food.
True or false?
Behaviorism emphasizes the importance of genetics in shaping behavior.
FALSE.
Behaviorism relays that behavior is learned rather than genetically programmed.
A critical socialization period exists from ______ of age in puppies and from ______ of age in kittens.
4 to 14 weeks - puppies
2 to 8 weeks - kittens
A puppy experiences its first fear period at ______ and its second fear period as they near ____.
8-10 weeks of age
Puberty
The best techniques for housebreaking involve use of:
Positive reinforcement
Multiple cat household should have:
At least as many litter boxes as cats