Ontogeny Flashcards
What are inherited behaviour patterns?
Often fixed action patterns, they consist of rigid stereo-typed patterns which are often similar in all individuals of a species, such as courtship displays. They are evoked by fairly simple sign stimuli.
Describe Cullen’s 1960 isolation experiment on Sticklebacks.
He kept male Sticklebacks in a tank, and during mating season, when presented with a small red model replicating another male showing display colours, they would attack. They even made attempts to attack red cars that drove past the window. When presented with a model replicating a silver female with a belly swollen with eggs, they began their courtship ritual.
Describe Gottlieb’s 1968 study
Duck eggs were left to hatch in an incubator. Upon emerging, the ducklings were placed into an arena with two speakers; one playing a call from their own species, and one from a different species. The majority approached the speaker playing their own species call.
Describe Hess’ study into imprinting
He discovered that the most sensitive imprinting stage is 13-16 hours after birth for filial imprinting (the imprinting of a baby to a parent).
Name two types of imprinting other than filial
Maternal imprinting - the mother imprinting onto the baby. A goat needs to smell its kid during the first hour of birth or it will reject it.
Sexual imprinting - an animal hand reared by humans with no same-species contact, may try and mate with humans when it reaches sexual maturity. This suggests some insight or recognition of what to mate with it established earlier in life.
