midterm 2 Flashcards
describe the complex begging behavior of herring gull chicks:
1. what is the stimulus?
2. what behavior is triggered?
3. what is instinct?
4. explain how the instinct theory explains fixed action behavior.
- shape of the bill and red dot at its end
- begging behavior of chicks, baby gulls peck at the tip of the parent’s bill, inducing the adult to regurgitate half-digested fragments of food
- fixed action pattern; an innate response, behavior pattern that is fully functional the first time it is performed, develops as a result of gene-environment interactions
- simple stimulus triggers a complex behavior –> sensory messages from the releaser are processed by an innate releasing mechanism (neuronal clusters) in the nervous system –> result: motor commands control a fixed action pattern, adaptive reaction to the releasing stimulus
describe how animals exploit fixed action behaviors in other animals, give examples
- humans have exploited the earthworm’s escape behavior in order to collect them for fishing purposes (worm grunting)
- bats use ultrasonic echoes to locate food and navigate at night; night-flying moths avoid night-hunting bats
describe auditory perception in night-flying moths and consequent specific behaviors to avoid bats:
1. how is the message relayed to the brain/control center?
2. how do neurons communicate with one another?
3. what is the action of motor neurons?
4. how is the response elicited:
a.) when the bat is to one side of the moth
b.) when the bat is above the moth
c.) when the bat is directly behind the moth
- receptors in the ears relay information to interneurons in the thoracic ganglia
- the interneurons communicate with motor neurons which control wing muscles, signals occur in a fraction of a second and moths can avoid bats quickly
- stimuli cause a reversal of charge across a neurons membrane making it more positive inside resulting in action potential; at the synapse a chemical messenger is released to stimulate the next neuron
4a. A1 receptor on side closer to bat fires sooner and more often the opposite A1 side, rate of firing is proportional to the loudness of sound
4b. activity in the A1 receptors fluctuates in synchrony with the moth’s wingbeats
4c. both A1 receptors fire at the same rate and time
discuss the advantages of sexual cannibalism in the praying mantis:
1. offspring number
2. nutrition
- more eggs are laid by females that eat their mates
- amino acids originating from the male directly go to support his offspring
discuss the command hypothesis theory, give examples
nervous systems are organized to avoid maladaptive conflicts between competing stimuli via command centers in the brain
- poisonous tree frogs, animals avoid them bc of bright colors
- horses, typically obey but if there is fear they will not
- leopard, stops from preying on porcupine bc of its quills
- lioness, does not stay with injured cub bc she knows it wont make it
- fox, will typically prey on animals but avoid rattle snake
- chinchillas, rolling in dust bath and will stop to check surroundings
discuss the benefits of stimulus filtering, give examples
ability to filter stimuli and reproductive success are directly related
- service dogs, ignore everything but the person they are serving
- dogs in pursuit, ignore surroundings and focus on chasing (animals,people,objects)
- pigs, ignore the sound of coyotes (learned behavior)
describe how cortical sensory maps are modified on an animal’s lifestyle, give examples
allocation of cortical tissue differs by specie based on an animals environmental set of problems
ex: naked mole rats; cortex dominated by teeth, this specie lives in groups in underground tunnels that they dig
discuss imprinting and the possible implications of cross fostering:
1. give examples
2. which seems to affect learning more - genetics or environmental factors
3. is there a scpecie variability
imprinting: developing the ability to learn, dependent on specialized brain features, interaction btwn genes and environment
- goslings formed an attachment and the adult males displayed a sexual preference for humans
- genetics
- a sex difference in learning skills should evolve when males and females of the same species differ in benefits derived from a particular learned task
what is classical conditioning, discuss pavlov’s experiment with dogs
classical conditioning: the salivary reflex
before conditioning: dog salivates at food but not bell
during conditioning: dog salivates at food and bell
after conditioning: dog salivates at bell but not food
discuss skinner’s theory of operant conditioning
an animal learns to associate a behavior with a reward or punishment; the animals response is voluntary and not reflexive and the animal performs behavior to earn a reward or avoid punishment
describe the difference between free-running and entrained circadian rhythm, give examples
free-running: lab crickets held under constant bright light continue to call regularly for several hours a day, cycle drifts out of phase and calling starts 25-26 hours after it did the previous day; cyclical pattern of cricket calling is caused in part by an environment (independent internal circadian rhythm)
entrained: crickets kept in 12 hours light and 12 hours dark, crickets adjust their calling behavior and reset their clock, male crickets start calling 2 hours before light shuts off and stop 2.5 hours before the light turns on
what is the superchiasmatic nucleus:
1. how is it involved in regulating animal behavior?
2. what are the period (PER) gene and PK2 and how are they involved in the activity of the SCN?
SCN: neuronal clusters in the hypothalamus, acts as master clock or sometimes pacemaker regulating other mechanisms that control circadian rhythm
- ^^^
- PER: related to the rhythmic operation of the SCN and its presence is cyclical, mutation in the PER gene=erratic behavior or non rhythmic
PK2: clock messenger produced when SCN is under the influence of PER
discuss different social/environment cues that entrain behavior, give examples
- seasonal temps
- rain, environmental factors
- changes in day length
- lunar cycles (African lions)
- social conditions and changing priorities
differentiates between protein and steroid hormones and their mechanism of action, give examples
steroid:
- derived from cholesterol
- activate intracellular receptors
- slower mechanism of action
- stimulate transcription of specific DNA
ex: testosterone
protein:
- compromised of amino acids
- activate intramembrane receptors
- relatively faster response
- turns proteins on or off
ex: vasopressin
describe the effects of vasopressin on behavior in some species of animals
in prairie voles, vasopressin enhances pair-bonding behavior in males
