Lecture 1

Question 1

Define behavior

Answer 1

muscle and secretory responses facing changes in the external and internal environment
- can be observed and measured (note: if we cant measure it, then its not a behavior)
- generally initiated by an external or internal stimulus
note: may not carry out activities involving movements or displacement
- always has a function

Question 2

Douglas Spaulding contributions

Answer 2

one of the founders of modern ethology
- published about the relationship between instinct and experience
- discovered imprinting
- observed newborn chicks being able to peck and moving objects naturally (after being blindfolded right out of the egg)

Question 3

Charles Whitman

Answer 3

Also started ethology movement
- examined hereditary and phenotypic variation
- started to distinguish innate vs. learned behavior
- orthogenetics

Question 4

Name the 2 schools of the 20th century

Answer 4

Behaviorism and ethology

Question 5

Compare and contrast the 2 schools of the 20th century

Answer 5

Behaviourism: originated in psychology, is based on experimental/comparative studies in the lab, learning behaviour (acquisition via reinforcement and punishment), originated in the US, Watson, skinner and pavlov

Ethology: science based study of animal behaviour (has roots in natural biology), studies are done in the field, deals with innate and adaptive behaviour, originated in UK/europe, Reinroth, Lorenz, Tinbergen

Question 6

What are the proximate (immediate) causal mechanisms in Tinbergen’s 4 questions + describe them

Answer 6

1. what is the causation of the behaviour: immediate causes - which stimulus elicits/stimulates a behaviour or psychological variables essential in causation
   - how genetic-developmental mechanisms influence assembly of animal and internal components (including nervous and endocrine systems)
2. how does the behaviour develop during ontogeny:
   describes how behaviour is modified by individual experience.
   - how neural-hormonal mechanisms that develop during an animals lifetime, control what the animal can do behaviourally

Question 7

What are the ultimate (evolutionary) causal mechanisms in Tinbergen’s four questions?

Answer 7

3. how does the behavior develop during phylogeny:
   the evolutionary history of a behavioural trait affected by the process of evolution by natural selection (the origin of that behaviour)
4. what is the function of that behaviour: adaptive value of that behavioural trait as affected by evolution by natural selection
   - how the behavior adds to reproductive success (survival value)

Question 8

Ruth Harrison contributions

Answer 8

wrote “animal machines” - put emphasis on animla suffering

Question 9

Name some areas of interest for applied ethology

Answer 9

welfare assessment, optimizing production, behavioural control, behavioural disorders, behavior and conservation biology

Question 10

Describe how ethology can be applied to conservation biology

Answer 10

Understanding animal behaviour can greatly help counteract the extinction of species as a result of human activities

Question 11

Describe how ethology can be applied to welfare assessments

Answer 11

Ethological research determines the needs of the animal that need to be met to satisfy their needs.

Question 12

Describe how ethology can be applied to optimizing production

Answer 12

Animals may consume their feed better if they are fed in the rhythm and social context that the species is adapted to.

Ex. Social animals may eat better when they are allowed to eat at the same time.

Question 13

Describe how ethology can be applied to behavioural control

Answer 13

The utilization of machines on farms must be carefully created with ethology in mind to prevent social hierarchy and fighting. Overall, ethology helps equipment be better suited for the animals.

Question 14

Describe how ethology can be applied to behavioural disorders

Answer 14

Abnormal or undesirable behaviour can sometimes be treated by adding the proper enrichment or managing the systems in place.

Question 15

Ethology timeline

Answer 15

• People have been fascinated by animal behaviour for a long time.
• Primitive humans were interested in animal behaviour for hunting and defence.
• There was a publication on animal behaviour observations.
• Instinctive behaviour was described as complex behaviour without learning.
• Instincts were thought to transfer from parent to child and were therefore part of evolution.