Comp 1 Flashcards
What is comparative psychology?
Comparative psychologists study animals, including humans. They look at why we do behaviours and how we do them. They look at development and mechanism, and to look at these you need to be invasive which is hard to do with humans, for example Harlow and thesus macaques. Cross-fostering is a method used - Kellogg and Kellogg (1933) raised Gua a chimp alongside their son at similar ages and showed similar behaviours. This comparison provides insights to important similarities and differences among apes and humans.
It is about comparing species, we can still learn about underlying mechanisms and devlopmental processes even without considering evolutionary models. For example, comparisons of different vocal production systems leads to an improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms that are involved in vocal and speech production.
What are the 4 sub-disciplines to study behaviour
Function, evolution, development, mechanism.
How are comparative psychologists integrating evolutionary models in their research?
Considerations of the evolutoinary relationships (information on homologies and analogies are being looked at and thought about in research) which lead to an improved understanding on how ancestral species may have communicated. Laugh face in chimpanzee - research this.
What is an homology
Shared ancestry
What is an analogy
Not shared ancestry
How do comparative psychologists select animals?
Primates have received special interest in comparative psychology because of their close evolutionary relationship to humans (including looking for apative functions), similarities in traits among developmental trajectories, and comparable underlying mechanisms.
Dogs because of their domestication, see if thats changed things.
Sea animals because of their large brains.
Rodants because they reproduce quickly so can see evolutionary change, between and within generations.
Birds - alex the parrot was very clever and could talk.
Discuss primates social systems
Primates have these complex social systems because of their neurological demands. They have adapted for life on trees, long parental investment and complex communicative systems.
Social groups and dispersion is different among different species, having different types of social organization, where often males disperse (matriline - social group around females), which is related to sexual dimorphism.
Aggressive behaviours are demonstrated within group fights and with other groups.
Affiliative behaviours including grooming, social play and close social proximity mainly between mothers and infants.
Social cognition, including long parental investment.
Complex communication system are also shown including vocalisations, facial expressions, gestures.
Which are the four extant great apes
Bonobo, Chimpanzee, Gorilla, Orangutan. (Equal in cloesness between humans and bonobos and chimps).
