Ch 12 Flashcards
What is learning defined as?
A change in behavior as a result of experience
What are the limits to the extent to which behavior can change?
- Physical
- Nonheritability
- Learning ability
- Neurological damage
- Critical periods
What does anatomical preparedness refer to?
The structure of an animal’s body makes certain kinds of behavior possible and other kinds impossible
Give an example of anatomical preparedness.
We can never teach a non-human animal to engage in vocal verbal behavior
Why can non-human animals not engage in vocal verbal behavior?
They lack operantly controlled vocal cords
How can stimuli controlling behavior depend on an animal?
They may depend on the sensory capabilities of the animal
List the sensory capabilities that can affect behavior.
- Olfaction
- Vision
- Gustation
- Audition
- Somatosensation
What is meant by the nonheritability of behavior?
Every individual starts from ‘square one’ concerning learned behavior
What happens to learned behavior after an individual dies?
It dies with the individual
What is a potential limitation of nonheritability on species?
It limits the ability of a species to benefit from experience
What is the value of learning for organisms?
It allows adaptation to changes in the environment
What could happen if learned behavior was inherited?
Organisms would likely go extinct as soon as a change in environment occurred
What do observational and experimental studies show about enriched environments?
They yield near-maximum behaviors
How does an enriched environment affect an individual’s abilities?
The more enriched the environment, the more likely an individual is to attain the highest (IQ, social awareness, etc.)
What can damage to the nervous system determine?
What we learn via interaction with the environment
What are neurotoxins?
Substances that damage nerve tissues and threaten learning ability after birth
Provide examples of neurotoxins.
- Alcohol
- Nicotine
- Lead
- Drugs of abuse
How can head injury affect learning?
Single or repeated neurological trauma will decrease the ability to learn
What are examples of neurological trauma?
- Concussion
- Stroke
What are Critical Periods?
A period of time in development in which an animal is especially likely to learn a particular kind of behavior.
What is Imprinting according to Lorenz (1952)?
A newborn animal is especially likely to discriminate the first stimulus he/she is exposed to as a parent.
Newly hatched chicks would follow whatever they first saw as if it were their mother.
What is Preparedness in learning?
The extent to which an animal’s phylogenic history prepares or counter-prepares an animal to learn a particular skill.
How do animals learn different skills?
Animals will learn some skills very quickly and efficiently and other skills slowly, if at all.
Example: Breland’s animal training.
What is Instinctual Drift?
A tendency for an animal to revert to a fixed action pattern regardless of the learning history/momentum for a skill.
