Ethological Explanation of Aggression: Ritualistic Aggression Flashcards
1
Q
what is a ritual?
A
- series of behaviours carried out in a set order
2
Q
who is the researcher involved in ritualistic aggression?
A
Lorenz et al
3
Q
what did Lorenz et al do?
A
- observed that fights between animals of the same species produced little actual physical damage
- most aggressive encounters consisted of a prolonged period of ritualistic signalling
4
Q
what are examples of ritualistic signalling?
A
- displaying claws and teeth
- facial expressions of threat
5
Q
what did Lorenz say about intra-species aggressive confrontations?
A
- pointed out that intra-species aggressive confrontations end with ritual appeasement displays
6
Q
what do ritual appeasement displays indicate?
A
acceptance of defeat and inhibits further aggressive behaviour in the victor, preventing any damage to the loser
7
Q
what is an example of ritualistic aggression in wolves?
A
at the end of an aggressive confrontation a wolf will expose its neck to the victor, a submissive appeasement gesture making itself vulnerable to a single bite to its jugular vein
8
Q
why is a wolves ritualistic aggression adaptive?
A
- if every aggressive encounter ended with death of one of the combatants, this could threaten the existence of the species
