Motivation Flashcards
Two phases of behaviour
Appetitive
Consummatory
What is motivation
The process within the brain controlling which behaviours and physiological changes occur and when
Why is understanding motivation important in domestic animals
Responsible for their care/management
Understanding motivational systems necessary in order for behaviour to be used as an indicator of animal welfare
Two types of causal factors
- External: sensory input from brain about bodies environment
- Internal: internal input from body monitors, provide info about specific body deficiencies
What are causal factors
Actual inputs to the decision making center, interpretations of a wide variety of external changes and internal states of the body
All changes in behaviour are…
manifestations of the animal’s response to changes in causal factors
How can causal factors vary within individuals
Same causal factor in different individuals may yield different behavioural responses
As the levels of causal factors rise…
there will be an increase in the likelihood of an animal exhibiting a particular behaviour (if there’s opportunity and they are likely to be successful)
What is a motivational state
combination of the levels of all causal factors
What are instincts
Thought to be inherited property of an animal, made it act in automatic way in certain circumstances
Development without environmental influences (all genetic, no learning)
What was drive thought to be
Component of homeostatic control system OR
Agent causing a particular behaviour to occur
Why is drive discredited
behaviour can have relationships with many different variables
What is the appetitive phase of behaviour, e.g.
comes first, comprises active, flexible, searching behaviours (e.g. foraging, mate seeking)
What is the consummatory phase of behaviour, e.g.
More stereotyped, unlearnt, species typical and motivation typical (e.g drinking, mating)
What is the Lorenz psycho-hydraulic model
Motivation is an accumulation of action-specific energy that is released when the action occurs
Action specific energy leads to specific beh
If thwarted from doing action, energy builds and builds in reservoir (post-inhibitory rebound)
Problems with the Lorenz psycho-hydraulic model
Energy is not the best term for the accumulating potential to perform an action
Potential may accumulate for some actions, but not for all (only useful in certain situations)
What did Jensen and Toates argue? Their new model saw animals as being…
Stimulus-response model is inaccurate
Animals are:
- intrinsically active, not passive
- goal-seeking (purposive)
- flexible
- learn cognitions
- exploratory
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ON EXAM
What is cognitive representation
An appreciation of an object or an event that is not directly detectable or is not actually occurring at the time (sense when something has been there, but now is not there)
E.g. of cognitive representation
Cow whose calf has been removed, still has cognition of that calf during the period when she is showing distress
What is negative feedback
Process whereby execution of a beh pattern reduces the motivation to perform it
Important in limiting the length of bouts of diff beh
What is hysteresis
Delayed negative feedback, takes a period of time for negative feedback to start reducing motivation (e.g. after eating, do not immediately feel full)
Why does motivational conflict occur
Animals constantly faced with multiple causal factors, they are competing for animals time and energy
Redirected behaviour vs displacement activity
Redirected = same beh e.g. mom gets mad at you you get mad at someone else
Displacement = different beh e.g. roomated gets mad at you, you go to the gym (seems irrelevant to human observer)
Why do displacement activities occur
Observed when an animal experiences a motivational conflict
Spectrum of abnormal beh
Normal –> beh vice –> abnormal repetitive beh –> stereotypies
Stereotypies vs abnormal repetitive beh
ARB = sequence begins to be abbreviated, detached from stimulus, shortens
Stereotypie = very abbreviated, fixed action pattern, no longer doing all normal beh
Three important sources of information to determine what is ‘normal’ behaviour
Behaviour of the wild ancestors
Behaviour of feral animals
Behaviour of domestic animals when placed in environments similar to those of ancestors
Examples of beh disorders
Stereotypies, cannibalism, abnormal aggression, stress
How do we measure causal factors?
Cannot measure directly
Estimates can be made through physiology
Most estimates of motivational state done using beh observation (intensity, freq, duration)
Best estimates of motivational states done using…
A multi-disciplinary approach
e.g. determining when one causal factor has more “urgency” than another
What is homeostasis
Body state is maintained within a tolerable range of temperature, osmotic state, nutrient level, etc by a set of homeostatic control systems (keeps things in balance)
Value that an important aspect of their environment should be
vs actual value
Should be = sollwert
Actual = iswert
Motivational vs affective states
Motivational = water motivated
Affective = thirsty (feeling)
