Introduction to behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

Animal behaviour definition

A

‘Any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing external or internal conditions’ (Twiss, 2023)

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2
Q

Behaviour relates to:

A

Internal/external stimuli

Triggers

Feedback

Constraints/ limitations

Interactions

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3
Q

Modern animal behaviour research

A

Interdisciplinary & integrative, e.g.

Cellular & molecular processes (e.g. behavioural genetics)

Physiological processes underpinning behaviours and behavioural‘options’ (e.g. metabolic rates)

Evolutionary psychology & Cognitiveethology

Sociobiology: the social context

Behavioural ecology -Environment: biotic and abiotic

Conservation and welfare

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4
Q

Proximate vs. ultimate causation

A
  • Ultimate factors: constraints that have arisen through evolution - establish the limits
    e.g: Factors affecting feeding: Body size & energy needs, Digestive system, Social system, Bill size & shape (birds)
  • Proximate factors: affect the behaviour of an animal within those limits - the immediate ‘choices’ made by the animal e.g: Factors affecting feeding: Presence & abundance of food, Previous experience. Environmental conditions.
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5
Q

Tinbergens four whys

A

AB = CDEF

Animal Behaviour = Causation + Development + Evolution + Function

Causation - proximate factors initiating the behavior.

Development - the relative roles of genetics and learning in the expression of behaviour.

Evolution - how the behaviour evolved from ancestral phenotypes.

Function - how does the behaviour contribute to the survival of the organism - what are the `ultimate’factors involved.

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6
Q

Nature vs. nurture

A

Early ethologists argued that most behaviour was innate behaviour I.e. Nature

Nature: Inborn behaviour (‘instinct’) defined as genetically programmed and not affected to any great extent by experience.

Nurture: Psychologists argued that behaviour can be modified in response to environmental experience and learning from others

More recent view is that there is no true dichotomy. Nature and nurture interact as with genes and environment. The debate now is about the relative importance of genes, physiology & environmental experience.

All behaviour has a genetic basis and even the capacity to learn behavior is inherited BUT, behaviour can be modified by environment/experience.

Behaviour is the product of natural selection on phenotypes & indirectly on the genotypes that code for those phenotypes. Therefore an animals behavioural repertoire is a set of adaptations that equip it for survival in a particular environment

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7
Q

Intelligence ranking - a fools errand

A

A fools errand – how do we define/ compare it within and between species e.g. humans cannot ecolocate and fish cannot climb trees.

Research shows that humans can train bees to make decisions – honey bees have just 960 thousand cells in their brains but show high levels of intelligence completely unproportional to size. We can train dogs and they are capable to read and understand us.

The strength of spider silk at a larger scale would have the capacity to catch aeroplanes.

Different species have different forms of intelligence

Can comb jellies show complex learning?

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8
Q

How do humans interact interspecially?

A

Many negative impacts are observable but some species can adapt and benefit.e.g. foxes, coyotes and pigeons.

Arctic Terns benefit from human disruption as it reduces predation of their eggs and chicks by gulls. City adaptations include smaller territories and denser populations that reproduce faster. Birds that live off birdseed from feeders can adapt different beak formation.

Human traffic noise has caused some species of bird to sing at a higher pitch to hear each other in cities. City mice develop larger brains than country mice as they must find new ways to source food and avoid a denser population of predators

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9
Q

Do non-human animals experience emotions and empathy?

A

Yes

Prairie voles will take time to care and groom for a stressed mate

Elephants have been observed to show grief returning to visit bones of dead relatives and perhaps even holding funerals

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10
Q

Foundation of modern behavioural study developed in the late 19th century aka the Age of Exploration

A

Based on 3 major developments:
1) Publication of the theory of evolution by natural selection (Darwin & Wallace)

2) Theories of genets and inheritance (Gregor Mendell 1860)

3) Development of ethological study methods:

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11
Q

1) Publication of the theory of evolution by natural selection (Darwin & Wallace)

A

individuals vary

some variations are heritable

limited resources create competition

some phenotypes/genotypes are better suited/adapted to their environment.

better adapted individuals survive to produce offspring and pass on these characteristics to their offspring.

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12
Q

2) Theories of genets and inheritance (Gregor Mendell 1860)

A

Breeding experiments using garden peas

Principles of inheritance and biological characteristics

His research was expanded in 1930’s by Ronald A Fisher and others

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13
Q

3) Development of ethological study methods

A

The comparative method (George John Romanes 1848-1894)

More rigorous testing method
Compared the behaviour of humans and animals to gain insight into human behaviour
Suggested that similarities implied similar mental states and reasoning processes
BUT – relied heavily on inferences and anecdotes rather than quantitative structured behavioural records

The observational method ( Conwy Lloyd Morgan 1852-1936)

Only data gathered by direct experiment and observation could be used to make generalisations and develop theories
“Law of parsimony” (CL Morgan)
Seek out the simplest explanations for observed facts

Also:
Standardised methodology and experimental method pioneered by Edward Thorndike

Magaret Floy Washburn published a textbook on experimental methods in comparative psychology

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14
Q

Comparitive psychology

A

Functionalism: adaptive behaviour e.g. a behaviours role in the animals survival

Behaviourism: behaviour = response/reaction to stimuli. Most behaviours are therefore products of an individuals past experiences. E.g. BF Skinner’s (1904-1990) research concluded animals learnt behaviours are influenced by error and reward.

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15
Q

3 main disciplines study behaviour

A

1) Comparative psychology/physiology
2) Ethology
3) Behavioural ecology and sociobiology

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16
Q

1)Comparative psychology/physiology

A

Studies underlying causes of behaviour utilising cross-species comparisons

Proximate causation

Internal or external stimuli

Development of behaviour – learning/ cognition

Usually within a lab setting

advantage: systematic replicable experiments

disadvantage: potential domestication and unnatural behaviours due to unnatural environment

17
Q

2) ethology

A

Primarily focused on ultimate causation but also behaviour mechanisms including drives/motivations

20th century practitioners: Tinburg, Frisch and Lorenz

Involves lab and field study

Key principle: behavioural traits can be studied from an evolutionary standpoint

e.g. ritualisation of food exchange behaviour in birds from chickens to peacocks

Advantages: based on evolution, observations taken from natural settings

Disadvantages: in natural settings there is a lack of control and lack of knowledge of the individuals previous experiences, testing hypothetical evolutionary behaviours can be difficult.

18
Q

3)Behavioural ecology and sociobiology

A

Primarily studies ultimate causation

Evolution of behaviour in relation to ecology

Combines ideas from animal behaviour, ecology and evolution

Selection pressures imposed by an animals environment

What is the selective advantage of a behaviour in particular ecological conditions?

Involves lab and field study

Uses cost-benefit analysis to understand behaviours e.g. benefit: food and cost: risk of predation

Advantages: animals studied in natural habitat or enclosure designed to mimic natural features, provides specific data to test particular hypotheses (breaking down larger questions to components)

Disadvantages: lack of environmental control