LS4 - Ethological Explanations Of Aggression Flashcards
Ethological Explanation
Studies animals in their innate environment to study innate behaviour and generalise these findings to another species.
Lorenz Aggression Explanation
Aggression in animals is ritualistic which is more adaptive to humans, because you can show aggression without any physical harm.
Ritualistic Aggression
When animals use a range of behaviours as posture or warning but without engaging in physical aggression.
How Did Aggression Come
It’s the result of an evolved autonomic biological response, a network of neurone responding to a stimuli
Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM)
A network of neurone in the brain, a stimuli triggers this which releases a sequence of behaviours: FAP
Fixed Action Pattern (FAP)
Stereotyped/Unchanging
Universal - The same for every species
Unaffected By Learning/Experience
Ballistic - Follows a course of behaviours
Single-Purpose - Only occurs in a specific situation.
Strengths (+)
Stickleback Study
Weaknesses (-)
Assumes Behaviour Is Innate
Aggression Is not Always Ritualistic
Not All FAPs Are Fixed
Stickleback Study (+)
Tinbergen - Experimented on male sticklebacks. In mating season they have a red spot making them more likely to attack others in their territory. Tinbergen thought the spot was an IRM, when male sticklebacks saw a wooden model with spot they attacked but otherwise they didn’t.
Assumes Behaviour Is Innate (-)
South American White men were more likely to respond aggressively than North American men when insulted showing cultural difference
Aggression Is Not Always Ritualistic (-)
Chimpanzees have waged war on neighbouring groups of chimpanzees which is hard to explain as they slaughtered each other.
Not All FAPs Are Fixed (-)
Learning and environments can create differences, therefore modal action patterns which are instinctual behaviours that differ from individual are more applicable e.g. not all dogs chase cats.
