Exam 1 Flashcards
Define Animal Behavior
Expression of an effort to adapt or adjust to different internal and external conditions
May be a reflex
Individual survival
basic actions of animals are directed towards keeping themselves alive
Species survival
reproduction
Ethology
complex science of animal behavior, its causation and function
Observation and detailed description of behavior with objective findings on biological mechanisms
John Ray published ___ in 1676
Willughby’s Ornithologia
Welfare Assessment
Domestic animals content with a complex environment that includes physical conditions, social influences, and predators, parasites, or pathogens that may attack them
Coping Mechanisms
linked to behavioral responses or changes
coping
having control of mental and bodily stability
Coping systems
systems that respond to or prepare for challenges
ex. adaptive feelings
Roger Brambell’s Five Freedoms
From hunger and thirst From discomfort From pain, injury, or disease To express normal behavior From fear and distress
Objective indicators
independent of moral considerations
Sentience
capacity/extent to which animals are aware of themselves and their interactions with their environment
Sentient being
Ability to:
- evaluate the actions of others in relation to itself & third parties
- remember some of its own actions
- Assess Risks
- Have some feelings
- Have some degree of awareness
Once ___ evaluation of welfare has been completed, ___ decisions can be made.
Scientific
Ethical
Well-being
looser, less precise, more general way
Sometimes refers to the animal’s short-term state
May refer to the state of the animals
Encompass behavior, performance, and physiology
Welfare
used in legislation
Refers to the long-term good of animals
Describe broader constellation of social and ethical issues
Focused on behavior (less on physiology)
Ignoring performance
Stress
Situation in which an individual is subjected to a potentially or actually damaging effect of its environment
Optimizing Animal Production
Farm animals are kept to produce food and other essentials for humans and farmers/ranchers need their enterprises to be profitable
Optimized
Knowledge of animal behavior must be taken into account
Why do we keep animals in captivity?
Control their behavior
Prevent from escaping
Control breeding
Allowing them to adapt to housing environment
Involves human-animal interaction
Adaption to technical innovations
Behavioral disorders come from
Poorly designed housing systems, malfunctioning equipment, poor human management
Causation(s) of behavior
study of mechanisms that trigger or stimulate animals to behave a certain way
Functional consequences
Study of the functions served by certain behaviors
Development (ontogeny) of behavioral processes
study how and when behavior develops during the course of an animal’s lifetime
Evolution (phylogenetic origins) of behavioral processes
study how behavior has changed over generations
Ethogram
Complete, precise description of the array of behaviors an animal is capable of showing; catalog of behavioral patterns
Anthropomorphism
Term give to interpreting animal behavior in terms of human experience
Teleology
use of design or purpose as an explanation of innate or instinctive behavior
Focal Animal Sampling
Focus on one individual or one dyad or one litter for a specific amount of time
Scan sampling
Record behavior of each individual or all behaviors evident in a whole group at a single instant every day, once weekly, monthly, ect.
Hawthorne effect
Change in behavior of animals resulting not from the effects of any experimental manipulation but merely from the attention paid to the animal by the observers
Changing the way you act because someone/something is watching
Instinct is a suitable raw material for ___
evolution
Instinctive Behavior
Behavior that occurs naturally without influence of learning
Sterotypy
is a repetitive or ritualistic movement, posture, or utterance
Conspecifics
Members of their own species
Innate
describes behaviors which are believed to have a relatively strong genetic component associated with development
Genetic Determinism
belief that, if there is a genetic control, the behavior of an individual will be inflexible and determined from the point of fertilization
Linkage
when the position of a behavior is inherited in close correlation with some other trait for which the gene is known
Heterosis
Performing at a level greater than both parent strains for some measurable trait
Artificial Selection
occurs prior to reproduction
Usually only applied to a single trait
Natural Selection
can be determined only after the animal’s reproductive lifespan has ended
All phenotypic characteristics of animal
Darwin’s 3 Principles required for any trait to be modified by evolution
Variation
Genetic Inheritance
Natural Selection
Principle of Variation
states that a trait must vary between individuals of a population
Principle of Genetic Inheritance
Some of the variation in a population must be of genetic origin
Principle of Natural Selection
Indicates that some variant(s) of the trait must influence various reproductive abilities
Phylogenetic trees
used to deduce from traits other than behavior, then map behavior seen in closely related species
Ritualization
process by which a certain behavior evolves into a signal by becoming exaggerated and losing its original function
Fitness
relative ability to leave progeny in the next generation
Reproductive success of an individual
Optimal behavior
behaviors that maximize the difference between fitness benefits and costs
Domesticaiton
process whereby an animal is transformed from a life in the wild to a life under some humane control
Dimitry Belyaez (1917-1985)
Russian geneticist
Wild silver Foxes (Siberia) —> Dog
Drive
a component of a homeostatic control system
agent causing a particular behavior to occur
Motivation
process within the brain that controls which behaviors and physiological changes occur and when
Motivation includes
Thirst Hunger Fear Urge to Migrate Urge to Mate Nest Building Dust Bathing
Motivations are examples of
Causal explanations for behavior
They are proximate, mechanistic explanation for why an animal is currently performing a particular behavior pattern
Motivational States
Internal Stimuli
External Stimuli
Casual Factors
Internal Stimuli
signals from body monitors which provide information about general or specific body defiencies
External Stimuli
Cues about the animal’s environment
Casual Factors
actual inputs to the decision-making center
Vacuum activities
Behavior patterns occurring in the absence of the normal external eliciting stimuli
Supernormal stimuli
more effective at eliciting behavior than natural stimuli
Tolerable range
what temp, osmotic state, nutrient level, ect.. by set of homeostatic control systems
Negative feedback
process whereby execution of a behavior pattern reduces the motivation to perform it (limits length of bouts of many behaviors)
Hysteresis is…
delayed negative feedback to reduce motivation
Positive feedback
differs in that motivation actually increases after the start of the bout
Feed-forward control
a tolerable range is predicted and correction is made before the state changes
Appetitive phase
a behavioral sequence comes first and comprises active, flexible, searching behaviors
Consummatory behavior
follows appetitive behavior, and is typically more stereoptypic, unlearned species-typical, and motivational-typical
Psychohydraulic model
Lorenz, 1950
likened behavioral control to a cistem of water than can overflow via valve, and this overflow represents the performance of the behavior
Stollwert-Istwert Model
does not assume an inevitable build-up of internal causal factors in the absence of behavioral expression
Istwert
the way the world is
actual value
Stollwert
the way the world should be
Should-be value
Control systems models
Motivation are based on the assumption that we can draw analogies between the mechanisms of living and non-living systems
State-space models
focus on the interactions between behavior patterns and the “rules” animals follow when choosing between different activities
Learning
relatively permanent change in response over time as a result of practice or experience
modification of behavior due to stored information from previous experience
Two approaches to learning behavior:
Innate
Learned
Innate Responses:
Fast, reliable
In place at birth
Learned Responses:
Slow, variable
Must be learned from experience (usually from parents)
Innate Species Prominence
Short lifespan
Many offspring
Little Parenting
Small nervous system
Learned species prominence:
Long lifespan
Few offspring
Much parenting
Larger nervous system
Timing of rewards is ___
Critical for the learning process
Memory
Process of maintaining this information overtime
Types of Memory
Sensory memory
Short-term memory
Working memory
Long-term memory
Sensory Memory
Shortest element of memory (1/4 to 1/2 sec)
Decays quickly
Buffer for sensory stimuli
Can be ignored or perceived
Ignored stimuli
disappears almost instantaneously
Perceived stimuli
Enters sensory memory
Short-Term Memory (STM)
Limited Storage Capacity
Limited Duration (15-30 sec)
Acoustic
Rehearsal
repeating items verbally to encode in STM
Working Memory
Form of STM
Different systems for different types of information
Central Executive
2 Sub-Systems: Phonological Loop & Visuo-Spatial sketchpad
Central Executive
Drives the whole system and allocates data to subsystems
Cognitive tasks: mental arithmetic and problem solving
Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad (VSS)
Inner eye
Stores and processes information in a visual form
Used for navigation
Phonological Loop
Part of working memory that deals with spoken and written material
Phonological store (inner ear) Articulatory Control Process (Inner voice)
Long-Term Memory (LTM)
Reference Memory
Holds info for long periods of time
Virtually unlimited capacity
Semantic (meaning)
Visual (Pictorial)
Acoustic (Sound)
Three Basic Parts of LTM
Procedural Memory
Semantic Memory
Episodic Memory
Procedural Memory
Knowing how to do things
Procedures
Semantic Memory
Storing Information about the world
Meaning
Episodic Memory
Storing information about events experienced in the animal’s lifetime
Occurrences
Consolidation
separating valuable memory from expendable information
Memory trace
Encodes in neural tissue that provides the physical basis for a memory after learning
Synpatic consolidation
occurs within the first few hours after learning or encoding
System consolidation
Hippocampus-dependent memories become independent of the hippocampus over a period of weeks to years
Reinforcement
Can cause memory items to persist in time and strengthen memories
Repetition/rehearsal or reward/punishment
critical for transition of memory to STM to LTM
Recall
Ability to access memory or infomration without a cue
Recognition
Identifying information after experiencing it again
Memory retreival based on cues
Relearning
Learning information that has previously been learned
Recollection
reconstruction of memory
Utilizing logical structures, partial memories, narrative, or clues
(unsure if this occurs in animals)
Context
Specific cues
Decay
Information stored in memory becomes less readily retrieved as time passes
Forgetting
Failure to retrieve a memory due to lack of reinforcement through repeated experiences
Habiruation
Persistent decrease in frequency and/or intensity of a response due to repeated stimulation in the absence of reinforcement & punishment
Desensitization
Repeated exposure to a stimulus decreases the behavior response to the relevant stimulus
Reduce fear in animals
Sensitization
Repeated exposure to a stimulus amplifies the behavior response to the releven stimulus
Classical conditioning
Pavolvian Conditioning
Automatic, involuntary response
Environmental event or stimulus is followed predictably by some other occurrence
Principle of association
Allows animals to predict events, but provides them little control or influence over actual timing
Pavlov’s Dog
He rang a bell then sent the food out
The dogs mouth watered when they smelled the food (Involuntarily)
Soon he would ring the bell and the dogs mouth would water without smelling the food (classically conditioned)
Reinforcement
Rewards and punishments
Edward Thorndike (1874 to 1949)
American Psychologist
Behavioral learning theory based on connectionism
Increasing behavior with reinforcement and practice
Three Laws of Connectionism
Law of Effect
Law of Exercise
Law of Readiness
Law of Effect
Responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation
Response that produce a discomforting effect are less likely to occur again in that situation
Law of Exercise
Those things most often repeated are best remembered
Law of Readiness
Individuals learn best when they are physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to learn
Do not learn well if they see no reason for learning
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
American psychologist/behaviorist
Operant Conditioning
Based research on Thorndike’s law of effect
Schedule of Reinforcement
Operant Conditioning
Instrumental Learning
Learning process based on a reward or punishment
Stimulus –> Response –> Reinforcement –> repeate
R vs P
Reinforcement
Factors, events, or experiences which INCREASE the likelihood that a behavior will occur
Positive reinforcement
Adding something the animals want
Negative Reinforcement
Removing something aversive to the situation
R vs P
Punishment
factors, events, or experiences which DECREASE the likelihood that a behavior will occur
Positive punishment
adding something aversive to the situation
Negative punishment
removing something the animal wants
Primary reinforcers
Typically have biologically reinforcing properties (e.g. food, water, shelter, warmth, ect…)
Secondary reinforcers
Stimuli associated with the primary reinforcers in time and/or space (e.g. other animals & objects)
Bridging Stimulus (Clicker Training)
Bridge the time between response and discovery of a positive reinforce
Useful when the distance between trainer and animal prohibits immediate reinforcement
Shaping
Encouragement of an animal to perform spontaneously a behavior it would otherwise seldom exhibit
Allows conditioning to occur
Ex: Housebreaking a puppy
Chaining
Reinforcing individual response occurring in a sequence to form a complex sequence of behavior that are beyond the current repertoire
Animals learn to do a task in a sequence of events that leads to a reward
Escape Conditioning
form of aversive conditioning
Occurs when an aversive stimulus is presented and an animal responds by leaving the situation
Avoidance conditioning
A conditioned stimulus is given before the presentation of an aversive stimulus
Neophobia
Fear of the unknown
Generalization
Converse tendency to attend to shared features within a range of stimuli
Enables animals to respond to new stimuli adaptively, provided sufficient shared information exists with previously encountered stimuli
Riding school pony = respond appropriately to a variety of rides using leg, seat, and hand cues in different ways
Discrimination
Dressage horse = will only respond to the specific cues from only one rider
Extinction
waning of a learned response due to a lack of reinforcement (or punishment)
Spontaneous recovery
Temporary recovery in response magnitude or frequency
Schedules of Reinforcement
Rate and pattern of responding during extinction can be influenced by the rate of reinforcement prior to extinction
Decline in response frequency with extinction is lower
Continuous Reinforcement
Reinforcing the animal each time it performs a learned response
Variable Ratio Schedule
Provides reinforcement after a variable number of responses have been made by the animal (does not follow every response)
Fixed Interval Schedule
Reinforcement delivered for the first response made after a fixed time period has elapsed following the previous reinforcement
Variable Interval Schedule
Reinforcement, the animal is rewarded for the 1st response it makes following passage of variable periods of time
Tool Use
Develops through an interaction of inherited species-typical anatomical characteristics and behavior
Observational (Social) Learning
Copying
Imitation
Greatly reduces the time and energy requirements associated with trial-and-error learning and costly mistakes
Body language to understand basic intentions of others
Abstract Thinking & Conceptual Learning
Highest level of learning where animals can acquire and use wide range of abstract concepts involving geometric relationships, numbers, colors, and tool usage
