Chapter 51 - Animal Behavior Flashcards
Behavior
the nervous system’s response to a stimulus and is carried out by the muscular or hormonal system
an action carried out by muscles under control of the nervous system in rsponse to a stimulus
Observation of Study
Jane Goodall and Chimpanzees
requires careful and time-consuming documentation of behaviors
classical ethology
Konad Lorenz and Geese
early studies of a form of learning known as imprinting
experimental manipulations, somewhat artificial
Niko Tinbergen and innate behaviors
animals may respond in a predictable fashion to a stimulus
supernormal stimulus may evoke the strongest response
Classical Animal Psychology
rat in a maze
B.F. Skinner - behaviorist school
behavior is infinitely maleable by the environment (all nature, no nurture)
hypothesis disproved
fixed action pattern
sequence of unlearned, innate behaviors that is unchangeable
once initiated, usually carried to completion
sign stimulus
an external cue that triggers a fixed action pattern
Migration
regular, long-distance change in location
Animals can orient themselves using…
the position of the sun and their circadian clock
position of the North star
Earth’s magnetic field
imprinting
behavior that includes learning and innate components and is generally irreversible.
distinguished from other learning by a sensitive period
spatial learning
more complex modification of behavior based on experience with the spatial structure of the envrionment
associative learning
animals associate one feature of their environment with another
social learning
learning through the observation of others and forms the roots of culture
the nervous system’s response to a stimulus and is carried out by the muscular or hormonal system
Behavior
Jane Goodall and Chimpanzees
requires careful and time-consuming documentation of behaviors
Observation of Study
Konad Lorenz and Geese
early studies of a form of learning known as imprinting
experimental manipulations, somewhat artificial
Niko Tinbergen and innate behaviors
animals may respond in a predictable fashion to a stimulus
supernormal stimulus may evoke the strongest response
classical ethology
rat in a maze
B.F. Skinner - behaviorist school
behavior is infinitely maleable by the environment (all nature, no nurture)
hypothesis disproved
Classical Animal Psychology
sequence of unlearned, innate behaviors that is unchangeable
once initiated, usually carried to completion
fixed action pattern
an external cue that triggers a fixed action pattern
sign stimulus
regular, long-distance change in location
Migration
the position of the sun and their circadian clock
position of the North star
Earth’s magnetic field
Animals can orient themselves using…
behavior that includes learning and innate components and is generally irreversible.
distinguished from other learning by a sensitive period
imprinting
more complex modification of behavior based on experience with the spatial structure of the envrionment
spatial learning
animals associate one feature of their environment with another
associative learning
learning through the observation of others and forms the roots of culture
social learning
behavioral ecology
the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior
stimulus-response chain
each response to a stimulus acts as another stimulus
(mating of fruit flies)
innate behavior
behavior with a genetic basis
learning
the modification of behaivor based on specific experiences
Culture
a system of information transfer through social learning or teaching that influences the behaivor of indivduals ina population
intersexual selection
mates are chosen based on characteristics of of others
intrasexual selection
competition between the same sex for mates
Agnostic behavior
an often-ritualized contest that determines which competitor gains access to a resource
Game Theory
evaluates alternative strategies in situations where teh outcome depends on the strategies of all individuals involved.
It’s a way to understand complex behaviors that rely on relative performance
Altruism
describes a behavior that reduces an animal’s individual fitness, but increases the fitness of tother indivudals in the population
inclusive fitness
an individual can maximize reporductive success by risking himself to hlep those closely related to him
coefficient of relatedness & Hamilton’s rule
r - fraction of genes shared
rB>C
an altruistic act is favored when the benefit to the recipient times the factor of relatedness is greater than the risk to the individual
sociobiology
certain behavioral characteristics exist because they are expressions of genes that have been perpetuated by natural selection
