Biological Explanations of Behavior

Question 1

Behaviors that require us to think about why a person acts.

Answer 1

Biological Explanations of Behavior

Question 2

It falls into the “commonsense” or “want to” category.

Answer 2

Normal Behavior

Question 3

Focuses on the behavior of certain parts of your brain and other organs.

Answer 3

Physiological Explanations

Question 4

It covers cellular, chemical, and hormonal reactions or influences.

Answer 4

Physiological Explanations

Question 5

Relation of behavior to brain activity and other organs.

Answer 5

Physiological Explanations

Question 6

It explains why or how a behavior evolved the way it did.

Answer 6

Functional Explanations

Question 7

What are its purpose and genetic/survival advantage.

Answer 7

Functional Explanations

Question 8

It is the development of behavior or structure.

Answer 8

Ontogenetic Explanations

Question 9

It influences nutrition, genes, experiences, and interactions in regard to the development of that certain behavior.

Answer 9

Ontogenetic Explanations

Question 10

It comes from the word ‘ontogeny’ meaning changes and development of an individual.

Answer 10

Ontogenetic Explanations

Question 11

It comes from the word ‘phylogeny’ meaning the evolutionary history of behavior or structure.

Answer 11

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 12

Certain behavior or structure have evolved over time because they have solved certain problems that improved their reproductive capability showing that feature (adaptability).

Answer 12

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 13

relates a behavior to the activity of the brain and other organs

Answer 13

Physiological Explanations

Question 14

describes the development of a structure or behavior including the influences of genes, nutrition, and experiences

Answer 14

Ontogenetic Explanations

Question 15

reconstructs evolutionary history of a behavior or structure

Answer 15

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 16

describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did

Answer 16

Functional Explanations

Question 17

This tries to answer how a particular behavior has evolved.

Answer 17

Functional Explanations

Question 18

Some species can change the color of their skin to match their surroundings, the functional significance of this ability to hide from predators is obvious.

Answer 18

Functional Explanations

Question 19

We thus need to understand the natural history of a species, so that the behaviors can be seen in the correct context.

Answer 19

Functional Explanations

Question 20

This examines a structure or behavior in terms of the evolutionary history of the species (‘phylogeny’)

Answer 20

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 21

Certain physical and behavioural features have emerged over evolutionary time because they have solved certain problems in a way that have improved the reproductive capability of the individual showing that feature (they are ‘adaptive’).

Answer 21

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 22

When certain species of animals are threatened, they respond by erecting their body hairs making them look bigger and more intimidating (piloerection).

Answer 22

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 23

When humans are frightened they also erect their body hairs, but as humans have lost most of their body hair this results in the sensation known as goose bumps.

Answer 23

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 24

Raise the issue of the relationship between mental activity and the brain also know as the “mind-body” or “mind-brain problem”

Answer 24

Biological Approach to Behavior

Question 25

area of brain enables bird to sing

Answer 25

Physiological Explanations

Question 26

why genes and environment are both necessary for bird to sing

Answer 26

Ontogenetic Explanations

Question 27

two different species of birds with similar songs have same ancestor

Answer 27

Evolutionary Explanations

Question 28

singing improves bird’s chances of mating

Answer 28

Functional Explanations