behaviour Flashcards
what is innate behaviour
- present from birth
- genetically hard wired into the nervous system and produces responses for some basic survival function
what are three innate behaviours
- reflexes
- kinesis
- taxes
what is a reflex
rapid automatic response to a stimulus to help improve chances of survival
what are taxes
whole organism moves in response to a stimulus where it moves either towards or away from the stimuli
what is kinesis
whole organism moves but the response is non-directional
moves faster and changes direction
what is a learned behaviour
- animal develops response to a stimulus not present from birth
- requires practice and is not always vital for survival
what are the types of learned behaviour
- habituation
- imprinting
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
- latent learning
- insight learning
what is habituation
animal learns to ignore repetitive stimuli because it is not followed by a reward or punishment
what is imprinting
- young birds learn to follow first large moving object they see, since this is usually their mother, it protects them from harm and provides them with food
- occurs during the critical period
what is classical conditioning
association between natural and artificial stimulus to bring about the same response
what is operant conditioning
association between particular behaviour and a reward or punishment
what is latent learning
animals observe other members of their species and remember to carry out those observed behaviours later in life
what is insight learning
apparent ability to imagine a solution to a problem without trial and error
what is social learning
- copying behaviours of other animals in the same species and social group
- allows behaviour to be passed rapidly
- can lead to cultural differences where behaviour may have originated with the innovation of an individual in the past
what is social behaviour
- one individual will produce a sign stimulus which is detected by another and often triggers an innate response
what is sexual dimorphism
males and females look very different to clarify differences between sexes
what is sexual selection
evolutionary processes that favours an increase in the frequency of genes that confer a reproductive advantage
what is male-male combat
- victory and mating rights go to the most powerful competitor
- explains male weapons and large body size
what is female choice
- only males that appeal to females’ notions of attractiveness will successfully mate
- females mate with attractive males so they will produce attractive sons who are ore likely to also reproduce
why is setting up a territory an advantage
helps to avoid conflict, as competition for resources is reduced, but animals must be prepared to patrol and defend their territory, and this can lead to conflict
explain what is meant by courtship behaviour
process performed by males to attract females
suggest a reason why animals engage in courtship behaviour before mating
to ensure they select the best mate and that their partner is ready to mate
explain why courtship behaviour is often ritualised and involves stereotyped displays
to identify the same species
explain why a male would defend a particular breeding territory against other males
to protect their area for females and help to reduce actual conflict
describe a benefit of parental care
protection of offspring so offspring are more likely to survive and reproduce
suggest a reason that the most caring parent is usually the female
males are more focused on reproducing
what are the different groups called in a colony of social insects
castes
what are the different groups in a honeybee colony
single fertile queen
several thousand sterile females
few hundred fertile male drones
how does communication occur between individuals within a honeybee colony
- pheromones
- touch
- dances
when does a honeybee perform a round dance
when the food source is less than 70m from the hive but gives no indication of direction
name the environmental reference used by honeybees to orientate for navigation
sun compass
how does the bee communicate how close a food source is using the waggle dance
the speed of the waggle
name the three types of social groups
- egalitarian
- despotic
- linear - dominance hierarchies
what is the structure of an egalitarian social group
all individuals have an equal rank
what is the structure of a despotic social group
one member is dominant and all others are equally submissive
what is the structure of a dominance hierarchy
- linear
- higher ranking individuals are dominant over lower-ranking ones
what is the advantage of a dominance hierarchy
- decreases amount of individual aggression
- ensures resources are shared out so that the fittest survive
where do dominance hierarchies exist
where animals are able to recognise each other as individuals and possess some ability to learn
how is a dominance hierarchy maintained after being established
- aggression as fighting is a last resort
- prior to fighting there is a series of ritualised actions - each reflex stimulated by sign stimulus of the other
briefly describe the general conclusions of wolfgang kohler’s work
- an example of insight learning
- exploratory learning
- banana on roof and boxes to help them reach
