Introduction Flashcards
1
Q
Historical Origins of Animal Behaviour
A
- Ancient Egypt; Nile; vital for civilisation; based agriculture patterns on ibis; ancient link of human culture and animal behaviour.
- Greece; Aristotle’s ‘Historia Animalia’; observational local work used today though subjective; basis for the scientific.
- Darwin; ‘Origin of Species’ (1859); natural selection credit but Wallace had the idea first; ‘The Descent of Man’; sexual discoveries; ‘On the Origin of Species’.
2
Q
Modern View of Animal Behaviour
A
- Modern Day; storks mean new life in continental Europe; Lindow; teaching about animals saves them (conservation psych); Bonnin; littering threatens animals; animal links more important now than ever.
3
Q
Constituents of Animal Behaviour (The Animal)
A
- PHYSIOLOGY; chimps and apes can understand some of each others gestures, as can humans.
- ANATOMY; animals let us understand the build of humans.
- ENDOCRINOLOGY; behaviour controlled by CNS/endocrine system.
- NEUROBIOLOGY; link w/hormones/nerves which are controlled by animals in a particular context.
4
Q
Change Drives of Animal Behaviour (Affects on the Animal)
A
- EVOLUTION; population affect.
- DEVELOPMENT; change of the individual over time.
- GENETICS; interacts w/environment and evolution.
5
Q
Deeper Understanding of Animal Behaviour (Understanding the Animal)
A
- PSYCHOLOGY; why does behaviour change?
- LEARNING & COGNITION; why, through learning/challenge/change do cognitive processes alter?
- SLT; social humans in pandemic = poor mental health.
6
Q
The Point of Animal Behaviour
A
- Allows the understanding of human development; shows us deep human interest in animals (ie. billion worth bird feeding industry); integrated in cultures (ie. elephants in Asia, bison in North America).
- Animal utility on the daily (ie. pets, produce); welfare is vital in maintaining our way of life as well as theirs; so captivity + evolution knowledge shows very disturbing potential results (ie. free range chickens = higher productivity).
- Ideas grown with social sciences; pure science/knowledge is hungry.
7
Q
Definition of Behaviour
A
- “All observable processes by which an animal responds to perceived changes in the internal state of its body (ie. hormones) or in the external world (ie. light/temperature).” (Skinner & Hebb)
- The animal wants homeostasis (baseline of function); behaviour adapts for this.
8
Q
Example Behaviour: Red Deer Rutting
A
- Courtship behaviour; deciduous fluffy antlers grow at mating season; later fall and rot; affects anatomy, physiology & behaviour; grows aggressive; drives away other stags once antlers are smooth/dead; tries to have the most females who think he’s the best genetic candidate for strong offspring; genes live.
9
Q
Example Behaviour: Red Deer Rutting (Analysis)
A
- Nature as if father is best, offspring more likely to get characteristics and survive better; evolution controls general traits, then individual variation makes some better.
- External change of season; spring/summer is eating greens for sugar so antlers can grow quick (2.5cm daily), helped by blood vessels for increased blood supply (think fingernails); environment asks to breed, so behaviour adapts.
10
Q
Tinbergen’s Origins
A
- 1910s/20s; most animals in labs; comparative psychologists used rats/cats/dogs/pigeons to explain all animals; protestors became ethologists; focused on local animals in natural habitat (like Aristotle); hence why some animals dominate research.
11
Q
Research Animal: Example: Stickleback Fish
A
- Male stickleback’s nibble females stomach’s as courtship display; the redder their chest when they nibble, the more attractive they are to females; red chest = antlers.
12
Q
The Work of Ethologists
A
- Lichtenberger; focused on space/camouflage (ie. bird eggs patterned like environment); animals fit niche habitat as fully as possible for survival.
- Darwin; observed population adaptation to environment; Tinbergen; measured daily patterns; why were some most successful in ecosystems; worked w/Lorenz on objectifying studies (the Four Questions).
13
Q
Tinbergen’s Four Questions
A
- CONTROL/CAUSATION (PROXIMATE); what starts it/allows it to last; what’s the trigger?
- DEVELOPMENT/ONTOGENY (PROXIMATE); how does the behaviour change individually/over a life?
- FUNCTION/ADAPTATION (ULTIMATE); why does it occur?
- EVOLUTION/PHYLOGENY (ULTIMATE); why does it evolve; pressure to make species stronger/more suitable.
- IF THE BEHAVIOUR DOESN’T FIT, IT WON’T BE PERFORMED.
14
Q
TFQ: Example 1
A
- WHY DO PIGS ROOT?
- Physiological drive (hunger); curiosity; cognitive tasks as intelligent; social w/refined hierarchy intertwined in environment; boredom; play.
- Ultimately, INSTINCT; applying question allows for behaviour to be controlled.
15
Q
TFQ: Example 2
A
- WHY DO GIBBONS SING?
- Social behaviour in “nuclear” families; signifies presence; territorial (loudest song wins/inheritance of area to offspring); prevents getting lost; pair-bonding (like in bird courting); aggression (strongest song wins; reduces direct fights).
- Ultimately, LEARNED/EXPERIENCED.
