Exam IV Flashcards
net value of a resource is determined by
an animal’s decision to fight and how long/hard it is willing to fight
dominance hierarchies
rank orderings of the individuals based on the results of pairwise aggressive interactions
aggression/agnostic behavior
occurs when animals either send threatening signals and/or engage in some sort of physical combat
hawk-dove game
hawk=the player escalates and continues to escalate until either it is injured or the opponent cedes the resource
dove=a player displays as if it will escalate, but retreats and cedes the resource if its opponent escalates
if a hawk interacts with a dove…
the hawk receives the entire value of the resource, while the dove receives nothing
if two doves interact with each other…
on average, they receive half the value of the resource
if two hawks interact with each other…
it is assumed that only the loser pays the cost of fighting
bourgeois strategy
an individual plays hawk if it is a territory holder, but plays dove if it does not own a territory
the war of attrition model
- individuals can choose to display aggressively for any duration of time
- display behavior is costly, the longer the display, the more energy is expended
- there are no clear cues such as size, territory possession, etc. that contestants can use to settle a contest
-Predicts that all contest lengths from the ESS function, any chopice of display time, lead to equal fitness gains to individuals
the squential assessment model
-individuals assess their opponent’s fighting abilities
-individuals are presented with least—> most dangerous aggressive abilities
-predicts that more evenly matched opponents should engage in the more dangerous behaviors
winner effects
winning an aggressive interaction increases the probability of future wins
loser effects
losing an aggressive interaction increases the probability of losing future fights
bystander effects/eavesdropper effects
-occurs when the observer of an aggressive interaction changes its assessment of the fighting abilities of those it has observed
-bystanders learn beforehand something about the opponents they may face in the future
audience effect
individuals involved in aggressive interactions change their behavior if they are watched
social networks
information flows between individuals
play
all motor activity performed postnatally that appears to be purposeless, in which motor patterns from other contexts may often be used in modified forms and altered sequencing
social play
when an activity is directed towards another living being
object play
play using inanimate objects such as sticks, rocks, leaves, feathers, fruit, and human-provided objects, and the pushing, throwing, tearing or manipulation of such objects
object exploration
where the individual learns what an object is
locomotor play benefits
- provides exercise and training for specific motor skills needed later in life
- provides animals with a better understanding of where things are in relation to one another, and may provide immediate benefits
cerebellum’s role in locomotor play
plays a critical role in limb coordination, movement, postural changes, eye-limb coordination, and many other aspects of movement in animals
social play benefits
- may lead to the foraging of long-lasting social bonds
- may promote and fine-tune physical skills, such as those relating to fighting, hunting and mating
- may aid in the development of cognitive skills and self-assessment skills
play markers
known as play signals, to indicate the desire to continue playing and to warn adults that the young are playing and not in danger of injury
role reversal/self-handicapping
older individuals either allow subordinate younger animals to act as if they are dominant during play, or the older animals perform some act at an intensity below that of which they are capable
the benefits of play fighting in squirrel monkeys (3)
- behavioral flexibility
- gauging the intentions of others
- experience in both the subordinate and dominant roles
the purpose of play
increase the versatility of movements used to recover from sudden shocks such as loss of balance and falling over, and to enhance the ability of animals to cope emotionally with unexpected stressful situations
which hormone has been most associated with the endocrinology of play
testosterone
aggressive female spiders
-act aggressively in defending the colony from predators, aggressive towards other females and mates
-more than twice as efficient as capturing prey than docile females
docile female spiders
-less aggressive and devote more time and energy to parental care
personality type
-defined as a suite of behaviors that show consistent, long-term differences between individuals
-can also be characterized as coping style
producers
search for food, so they accrue the costs associated with uncovering new food patches
scroungers
watch producers and learn where new food patches are by parasitizing the work of producers
boldness
usually refers to the tendency to take risks in both familiar and unfamiliar situations
shyness
refers to the reluctance to take such risks, or even a reluctance to engage in unfamiliar activity at all
hyena personalities (5)
assertiveness, excitability, human-directed agreeableness, sociability, and curiosity
three aspects of octopus behaviors
active v. inactive, anxious v. calm, and bold v. inhibited
fast birds
-act more like scroungers
-quickly approach novel objects and explore new environments rapidly, spending relatively short periods in any particular area
-assertive, but low testosterone levels
-unlikely to change their food searching patterns
slow birds
-behave more like producers
-reluctant to approach novel objects, vary their foraging behaviors, not physically aggressive
-take longer to explore new environments, but spend more time learning
proactive
-characterized by territorial control and aggression
-more likely to remove negative stimuli
reactive
-characterized by immobility and low levels of aggression
-hide from negative stimuli
