Lecture 3

Question 1

Learning specific to the different senses: animals will learn with their best, highly-adapted domain (dogs with smell, seagulls recognizing people with sight).

Answer 1

Domain specific learning

Question 2

The more stable an environment, the less learning happens → animals are…
Less stable, more learned →…

Answer 2

Specialists, generalists

Question 3

Exposure to irrationally feared thing becoming less frightening over time (reminds me of exposure therapy, getting
used to a loud and repetitive noise). Come from neophobia, the fear of the unrecognized or unfamiliar.

Answer 3

Habituation defined

Question 4

A trait that can be tweaked for a new behavior or training (like dolphins’ noses compared to their flippers). The foundation
for a new function, the base for learning.

Answer 4

Preadaptation defined

Question 5

Pairing a Conditioned Stimulus
with an Unconditioned Stimulus (the normally evoked response): So, CS has
a predictive value – these are physical, reflexive responses, like a mouth watering
or taste aversion (to avoid poisonous food – unconscious).

Answer 5

Pavlovian or Classical conditioning

Question 6

Interactive positive or negative
reinforcement – receiving shocks for certain behaviors, learning not to do that.
Receiving food/reward for certain actions, learning to do those things. Premack’s
Principle – any activity can be reinforced by a preferred activity (warmth, etc).

Answer 6

Operant Conditioning (Skinner box)

Question 7

Learning time intervals:
like associating a time cue with a location cue (ex: snowshoe hare meeting offspring at the same spot at the same time for feeding).

Answer 7

Temporal

Question 8

Locations and cognitive maps, mental framework to navigate areas (ex: bees returning to hive)

Answer 8

Spatial

Question 9

Specific responses for specific stimuli, going to do same thing regardless of tutors and mentors (why some animals need teachers for parenting and others don’t. The longer a species’ lifespan, the more things learned. Shorter, more instinct.

Answer 9

Instinct: Signal Stimulus, Innate Releasing Mech, Fixed Action Pattern

Question 10

birds hatch under-developed, and learn more – like complex bird songs from others

Answer 10

Altricial

Question 11

birds are born more developed, can hatch in sync and wait until incubated – these
are the birds that imprint.

Answer 11

Precocial

Question 12

Sensitive window for altricial singers to learn complex song – must be exposed to it (usually by a real-life tutor). Will only have their genetic subsong, all instinctual no mimicry.

Answer 12

Chaffinch experiments by Thorpe

Question 13

Coping mechanisms
that keeps animals robust and moving forward – helps bring them to a normal state.
Ex: women still giving birth in wartime.

Answer 13

Developmental Homeostasis

Question 14

Abnormal isolation
during sensitive developmental periods can ruin them for life (1 mo vs 3 vs 6)

Answer 14

Harlow Experiments (rhesus monkey)

Question 15

Physical conditioning, hunting/foraging,
hierarchies and roles, mating, learning from others/conditioned instinct.

Answer 15

Play Behavior and why it is vital