Ethology

Question 1

Behavior

Answer 1

Change in activity based on a response to an external or internal stimulus (includes all the ways individuals interact with their environment, species, and community)

Question 2

Main Categories of Behavior

Answer 2

Instinctual/innate // Learned // Abnormal

Question 3

Ethology

Answer 3

The study of animal behavior, usually in natural settings but also in captivity

Question 4

4 Questions of Ethology

Answer 4

Causation, Development, Fitness, Phylogeny

Question 5

Instinct/Innate

Answer 5

Occur as a result of genetics, inborn and inflexible (e.g. reflexes or orientation)

Question 6

Fixed action patterns

Answer 6

If stimulus is present, reaction will occur

Question 7

Kinesis

Answer 7

Non-direction changes in motion (e.g. speeding up in colder water)

Question 8

Taxis

Answer 8

Oriented movements to/from stimulus (e.g. turtles moving toward ocean)

Question 9

Learned Behavior

Answer 9

Behavior altered/influenced by experiences

Question 10

Habituation

Answer 10

How researchers must habituate themselves in a field, so that animals become used to their presence

Question 11

Imitation/Observational Learning

Answer 11

Animal observes and copies what another does

Question 12

Play Behavior

Answer 12

Allows for a lot of experimentation, usually only in mammals, not necessarily for a specific function

Question 13

Imprinting

Answer 13

Think of with ducks and a mother, yet could also be with a place, like specific beaches

Question 14

Associative Learning

Answer 14

Like with training, and having food available to accompany a behavior

Question 15

Social Behavior

Answer 15

Typically learned behavior, only come about through grouped living

Question 16

Society

Answer 16

Group of individuals of same species with defined rules, roles, and reciprocal dependence

Question 17

Types of Social Behaviors

Answer 17

Aggressive behaviors (attack and escape, intimidation, predation) // Sexual behaviors (mating, courtship, care bonding) // Parental behaviors (families and caring for offspring) // Cooperative and altruistic behaviors (with the latter, there is a risk for the behavior, and is often only seen with parents and offspring)

Question 18

Captive Animal Behavior

Answer 18

Live in vastly different conditions than in wild // Can be stressful // Can result in lack of stimulation (movement controlled and predation controlled, needs often met without action needed)

Question 19

Enrichment

Answer 19

Providing stimuli meant to enrich physical and mental welfare

Question 20

Activity Budget

Answer 20

Quantifying behavioral observations // how much time an animal spends engaging in various behaviors // provides baseline data on typical activity cycles

Question 21

Ethograms

Answer 21

Catalogue of behaviors for species/individuals and associated descriptions

Question 22

Approaches to Ethograms

Answer 22

Ad-libitum sampling // Continuous sampling // Instantaneous scan sampling // All-occurrence sampling