Ethological And Evoluntionary

Question 1

What are the main goals when it comes to evolution

Answer 1

• survive

- reproduce

Question 2

What did Lorenz believe

Answer 2

• aggression is an instinct and it has evolved because it is adaptive

Question 3

What is ethology

Answer 3

• the study of animal behaviour

Question 4

How can ethology help us understand human aggression

Answer 4

• helps us define aggression and looks at how reproduction and threat play a part
• looking at animals can teach us about our evolutionary past
• animals can be tested and controlled in a lab where as humans can’t

Question 5

What are innate releasing mechanisms

Answer 5

• specific neural circuits hard wired into the brain which monitor this drive
• Lorenz suggests that levels of aggression will build up continually in all animals until there is an opportunity for a release
• often opportunities for a safe release

Question 6

What is a sign stimulus

Answer 6

• the aggression will be released when a sign stimulus is present
• a shark may sense the opportunity to be aggressive when it smells blood
• change in the environment which causes the aggression to occur

Question 7

What is a fixed action pattern and give an example

Answer 7

• fixed series of behaviours which occur throughout species
• aggression has built up, and sign stimulus has been received
• the aggression can be released via FAPs
• standardised across species
• frogs catching an insect with its tongue

Question 8

What is the evidence for ethnological aggression

Answer 8

• Tinbergen

Question 9

Give example of a male stickleback and a gorillas Irm, ss and fap

Answer 9

Fish- monitoring aggression levels, red belly, attack

Gorilla- monitoring aggression levels, rival male beats chest, chase and attack rival male

Question 10

What are the strengths of ethnological explanation

Answer 10

• supported by the fact that aggression is seen in nearly all species and is seen cross culturally
• more likely to be innate rather than learned

Question 11

What are the weaknesses of the ethnological explanation

Answer 11

• generalised from animal studies to humans is a problem as animals animals inherit differently to humans
• humans are different and have culture where as animals do not

Question 12

Issues and debates concerning ethnological explanation

Answer 12

• the study of animals is often unethical

- rearing monkeys in isolation- we wouldn’t do this to human babies so why should we do it to animal babies