Exam 1: Behavior - Intro and General Concepts

Question 1

Behaviors that indicate pain

Answer 1

Limp

Move away

Posture

Vocalize

Question 2

Behaviors that indicate naseau

Answer 2

Hyper-salivation

Abdominal movements

Not eating

Moving away from food

Question 3

Behavior and plane of anesthesia/sedation

Answer 3

Eyes/pupil position

Movements

Reactions to touch

Question 4

Types of behaviors (10)

Answer 4

Social behaviors

Feeding, foraging, ingestive behavior

Self care or body care

Movements and actions

Travel

Postures and expressions

Spacing behaviors

Rest and sleep

Exploration and curiosity

Reproductive behavior

Question 5

Definition of objective observation

Answer 5

Based in fact

Quantifiable or measurable

Do not rely on opinions

Not influenced by personal bias

Question 6

Definition of subjective observation

Answer 6

Interpretation

Could be biased

Question 7

Lack of behavior

Answer 7

Just as important as behavior

If animal is not doing something, is it something normal for them or does it signal a problem

Question 8

Important lack of behaviors in small animals to look for

Answer 8

Refusal to eat, poor appetite

Inability to rest or sleep, or hypervigilance

Not ambulating

Constant hiding

Feigning sleep

Absence of grooming

Activity depression (decreased play or exploratory behaviors)

Social withdrawal

Question 9

What is an ethogram

Answer 9

Description of behaviors a set of animals might show

Question 10

What are ethograms used for

Answer 10

Describe behaviors in context in which they occur - without explicit reference to purpose, underlying emotional state, motivation, or function

Question 11

What is ethology

Answer 11

Scientific study of animal behavior usually considering behavior under natural conditions and as adaptive and evolutionarily influenced

Question 12

What are time/activity budgets

Answer 12

Display how much time an animal allocates to performing certain behaviors over a designated time period

Question 13

Potential behavioral indicators of good welfare

Answer 13

Animal is alert and curious about external environment

Animal shows range of activities

Animal interacts with other members of species/herd/flock as expected for that species

Animal interacts with or avoids human as normal for that species

Animal plays

Question 14

Examples of behavioral needs
Laying hens
Pigs
Calves
Polar bears
Hamsters

Answer 14

Laying hens - nesting in secluded place
Pigs - rooting
Calves - suckling
Polar bears - walking long distances
Hamsters - burrowing

Question 15

Why is exploration of territory important

Answer 15

Needed for survival

Provides animal with information on predictable or unpredictable patterns of change

Question 16

Why do some animals need to continually and thoroughly explore environments

Answer 16

Engages learning and memory capacities

These lead to cognitive maps of home range

Question 17

Why is important to reward exploratory activities

Answer 17

Motivation to explore environment over a lifetime

Question 18

What kinds of questions can be asked when trying to understand a behavior

Answer 18

1. How does it work

2. Why does it happen

Question 19

1. How does it work

Answer 19

Mechanisms underlying behavior that cause it to occur at the time of observation

What changes are occurring within the body that results in movement shown

Question 20

2. Why does it happen

Answer 20

The way the behavior has arisen or evolved in the species

Selective advantage of the behavior

Question 21

Tinbergen’s 4 questions

Answer 21

1. cause/mechanism
2. development
3. evolution
4. function

Question 22

Which of the 4 Tinbergen questions are proximate causes

Answer 22

1. cause/mechanism

2. development

Question 23

What does proximate mean in relation to Tinbergen’s questions

Answer 23

Immediate, moment of the behavior, how

Question 24

Which of the 4 Tinbergen questions are Ultimate causes

Answer 24

3. evolution

4. function

Question 25

What does ultimate mean in relation to Tinbergen’s questions

Answer 25

Deeper, ultimate purpose of behavior, survival value, why

Question 26

Cause/Mechanism

Answer 26

What controls the behavior

Stimuli that elicit response

Recent learning

Molecular, physiological, neurological, cognitive basis for behavior

Question 27

Development

Answer 27

How and when is the behavior acquired during the animal’s lifetime

How does it change with age

What early experiences result in behavior

Question 28

Evolution

Answer 28

Why does this behavior survive in the species

How doe it compare with similar behavior in related species

How did it begin

Question 29

Function/Adaptation

Answer 29

How does this behavior help individual survive and reproduce

Why does animal respond in this way instead of another way