L2 - History of Animal Behaviour

Question 1

According to Darwin, what are the 3 requirements for organisms to exhibit in order for evolutionary change to act?

Answer 1

Variation
Heredity
Differential reproduction

Question 2

What two factors does evolution act to enhance? And what type of selection pushes each?

Answer 2

Individual survival (natural selection)
Reproductive success (sexual selection)

Question 3

What idea did Lloyd Morgan bring in?

Answer 3

That the behaviour of an animal should be explained as simply as possible

Question 4

What is ethology?

Answer 4

The scientific and objective study of animal behaviour under natural conditions

Question 5

What behaviours does ethology focus on?

Answer 5

Instinct and “fixed action patterns” (hard-wired)

Question 6

Who were the 3 scientists big on ethology to begin with?

Answer 6

Niko Tinbergen
Konrad Lorenz
Karl von Frisch

Question 7

What was the difference in the animal behaviour study focus in North America compared to Europe?

Answer 7

North America focused on physiology and comparative lab based psychology
Europe focused on ethology

Question 8

Which approach did North American animal behaviour study develop into?

Answer 8

Behaviourism

Question 9

Who were the 3 main scientists behind behaviourism?

Answer 9

Edward Thorndike, John Watson and B.F Skinner

Question 10

Which side of nature vs nurture are ethology and behaviourism on?

Answer 10

Nature = ethology
Nurture = behaviourism

Question 11

What are fixed action patterns? And what are they “released” by?

Answer 11

Fixed action patterns are innate, stereotyped, species-typical behaviours.
“Released” by specific sign stimuli in the environment

Question 12

What is the sign stimulus and fixed action for robins which David Lack found?

Answer 12

Sign stimulus = colour red
Fixed action = to attack red item

Question 13

What type of questions did behaviouralists reject?

Answer 13

Questions which were considered immeasurable eg internal states or the mind

Question 14

How did behaviouralists study animal behaviour? (experimentally)

Answer 14

Used model lab species (rats, mice, pigeons etc.) under highly controlled conditions to measure effects of conditioning on behaviour

Question 15

How did ethologists study animal behaviour? (experimentally)

Answer 15

Ethologists started all studies with a ‘sit and watch’ phase e.g. Tinbergen’s seagull eggs

Question 16

What was John Watson’s “Little Albert” experiment?

Answer 16

Conditioned child (Albert) to be scared of a white rat by associating a fearful stimulus with the rat

Question 17

What two types of studies (on humans) can help look at nature vs nurture debate?

Answer 17

Twin studies (same genes, same/ different environment and adoption studies (different genes and same environment)

Question 18

For humans what is the percentage of traits which is hereditary?

Answer 18

49% (average)