Ontogeny

Question 1

What do ontogeny studies focus on

Answer 1

Development of a behaviour in an individual over time (changes in beh over time)

Question 2

How does behaviour function as a phenotype

Answer 2

It is the result of genetic x environmental interactions

Question 3

Experience definition

Answer 3

Change in the brain that results from the information acquired from outside the brain

Question 4

Experiences are consequences of…

Answer 4

Changes due to hormone levels, physical or chemical environment of the brain (physiological)
Sensory input
Imaginary

Question 5

Learning definition

Answer 5

Change in the brain, which results in behaviour being modified for longer than a few seconds, as a consequence of information from outside the brain

Question 6

Learning excludes…

Answer 6

Simple responses (like reflexes) because must change beh for at least a few seconds

Question 7

Why might an event in the environment have no effect on future behaviour

Answer 7

Some events are not detected by the animal (do not reach decision-making centers due to sensory-filtering mechanisms)

Question 8

Learning requires the animal to be aware of…

Answer 8

What is occurring, what has occurred, what is likely to occur

Question 9

Two types of sensory-filtering mechanisms

Answer 9

Peripheral filtering
Central filtering

Question 10

What kind of experiences do animals remember more?

Answer 10

Negative experiences

Question 11

Why does a rat learn to avoid an electric shock faster than it learns to associate a cue with food dispersal

Answer 11

Rats that modify their behaviour quickly when a cue indicating danger is recognized tend to have more offspring than rats that don’t recognize dangerous cues (natural selection)

Question 12

What is the garcia effect

Answer 12

animals tend to correlate nausea with the last thing they ate, and avoid the same food item thereafter

Question 13

What is habituation

Answer 13

Waning of a response to a repeated stimulus
Adaptive response as it saves energy that would be wasted on repeated responses to trivial stimuli

Question 14

E.g. of habituation

Answer 14

Flock of sheep near busy road would initially show frightened response, but each following vehicle would elicit less and less response until no response

Question 15

What does the likelihood of habituation and its rate depend on

Answer 15

1. the nature of the stimulus
2. stimulus rate (frequent repetition = faster)
3. its regularity (constant = easier)
4. the state of the animal (amount of attention given to environment)

Question 16

Production animals would need to be habituated to… (e.g.)

Answer 16

handling
introduction of different food containers
different items of clothing or colours

Question 17

What is flooding

Answer 17

Concept related to habituation, with same goal (cease to elicit startle response)
BUT intensity and frequency of stimulus is high, over-stimulating the animal so that it ceases to try to react

Question 18

Flooding leads to

Answer 18

Learned helplessness

Question 19

What is sensitization? e.g.?

Answer 19

Increasing response to a repeated stimulus
Second wolf sighting may elicit a greater response (b/c greater danger) in sheep

Question 20

What is classical conditioning

Answer 20

Animal learns to show an existing response to a previously neutral stimulus
Does not need to be aware
Not dependent on consequence

Question 21

What is operant conditioning? Eg?

Answer 21

Animal learns to perform an “operant” response in order to obtain a reward or avoid an aversive experience
Animal has to be aware
e.g. skinner box

Question 22

What is maze learning

Answer 22

Operant conditioning
Animal learns to take particular path in order to obtain reward

Question 23

Types of operant conditioning

Answer 23

Positive/negative reinforcement
Positive/negative punishment

Question 24

What is positive reinforcement

Answer 24

Increases the likelihood of a response by the addition of a pleasant stimulus to increase a behaviour

Question 25

ABCs of operant conditioning

Answer 25

Antecedent -> behaviour response -> consequence

Question 26

What is negative reinforcement

Answer 26

Increases the likelihood of a response by removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behaviour

Question 27

Examples of learning in food animals

Answer 27

Distinguishing the qualities of a food item
Returning to a food source
Minimizing predation risk
Identifying handlers

Question 28

Two challenges facing the young developing animal

Answer 28

1 - how to survive during the first period of life (vulnerable to predation, physical conditions, starvation)
2 - how to change in such a way that it becomes an effective adult (learns skills)

Question 29

Animals that are well developed when they are born are…

Answer 29

Precocial

Question 30

Animals that are helpless when born are…

Answer 30

Altricial

Question 31

Example of precocial animals

Answer 31

Cattle, chickens, horses

Question 32

After birth, the development of sensory systems is affected by…

Answer 32

experience, environment