Perspectives in the Study of Animal Behaviour

Question 1

What four interests typically encourage one to study animal behaviour?

Answer 1

Species/taxon.

Processes.

Patterns.

Broad questions.

Question 2

What are the three approaches in animal behaviour? Provide an example for each.

Answer 2

Conceptual approaches (e.g., kin selection vs. group selection).

Empirical approaches (e.g., experimental vs. observational).

Theoretical approaches (e.g., mathematical optimality theory in foraging research).

Question 3

Define proximal and distal questions.

Answer 3

Proximal: “how” questions. Tend to be causal and deal with immediate causation/mechanisms and development.

Distal: ultimate, “why/what for” questions. Tend to be functional and pertain to evolution and function.

Question 4

What are the twelve dimensions of analysis in behavioural research?

Answer 4

Ecosystem.

Interspecies.

Species.

Population.

Group.

Dyad (pair).

Individual.

System.

Organ.

Tissue.

Cell.

Molecule.

Question 5

Who were the three main behaviourists and what were they interested in studying?

Answer 5

Watson, Skinner, Pavlov. Interested in learning and nurture, not so much the mind.

Question 6

The focus of ethologists is what?

Answer 6

Innate behaviours (nature).

Question 7

Regarding genetics, fill in the blanks:

Behaviour = _____

Nature = _____

Nurture = ____

Answer 7

Phenotype.

Genes.

Environment.

Question 8

Griffin published three books regarding the animal mind, cognitive ethology, and beaver intelligence. What is a criticism of his work?

Answer 8

What was thought to be intelligence is not so, but rather innate - given the right stimulus, beavers start building.

Question 9

What are the two areas of anthropology with a peripheral interest in animal behaviour?

Answer 9

Primatology: study of primates, mainly apes.

Anthrozoology: study of the human-animal relationship.

Question 10

List six main applications of animal behaviour.

Answer 10

Behavioural technologies.

Animal sciences/welfare.

Behavioural veterinary medicine.

Pet-assisted therapy (zootherapy).

Conservation.

Pest control.

Question 11

Proximate questions are usually focused on by _____, while ultimate are usually focused on by _____.

Answer 11

Ethologists; behavioural ecologists.

Question 12

Which three scientists won the Nobel Prize in 1973? List one of their contributions.

Answer 12

Von Frisch: bee dance.

Lorenz: imprinting (ducks).

Tinbergen: acknowledged labwork necessary as well as fieldwork; fixed action patterns.

Question 13

Describe homology and homoplasy.

Answer 13

Homology: shared characteristics among common ancestors.

Homoplasy (analogy): convergent evolution (e.g., wings in bats and birds, though not in same classification).

Question 14

The beginning of amniotics is with _____.

Answer 14

“Lower” vertebrates.

Question 15

Behaviours are usually correlated among groups and exceptions are glaring. What is unique about some species of peramyscus?

Answer 15

55 species, look similar. 53 are polygamous, 2 are monogamous.

Question 16

What is the first science to address and study animal behaviour? What methods does it primarily use?

Answer 16

Comparative psychology. Mainly uses the experimental method, laboratory studies and the hypothetico-deductive approach

Question 17

For behaviourists, psychology equals what? What does it ignore?

Answer 17

Study of behaviour as overt behaviours and actions and learning or acquired behaviours.

Ignores covert processes like memory, thinking, decision-making.

Question 18

What are the methods usually used by ethologists?

Answer 18

Systematic and direct observation and description. Usually longitudinal, historically inductive.

Question 19

What is the traditional definition of ethology?

Answer 19

Study of species-specific (or species-typical) behaviours.

Question 20

Ethology studies overt (observable) behaviours through observations in (quasi-) natural settings (ecological validity). What are criticisms for each of these? What makes Tinbergen’s ethology useful?

Answer 20

Neglect of covert processes.

No experimental control.

Tinbergen’s ethology = experimental ethology.

Question 21

Ethology uses an inductive approach vs. a hypothetico-deductive and an idiographic approach vs. nomothetic. Elaborate.

Answer 21

Inductive: observations vs. experimentation; theory making vs. theory testing.

Idiographic: small n or n-of-1 research; generalizations from few observations.

Question 22

A pigeon study at Dalhousie found what?

Answer 22

Reinforcement behaviour changes depending on stimulus.

Question 23

What was the unifier for the nature/nurture debate between ethology and comparative psychology in the early-70s?

Answer 23

Robert Hinde: “Animal Behaviour: A Synthesis of Ethology and Comparative Psychology”

Question 24

In North America, ethologists tend to be in psychology departments. Why may this be?

Answer 24

Appeal of the proximal approach.

Question 25

Sociobiology was started when?

Answer 25

Started by E.O. Wilson with the book “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis” in 1975.

Question 26

_____ is more central to sociobiology than it is to ethology.

Answer 26

Evolution.

Question 27

Sociobiology is a hybrid between what two disciplines and why?

Answer 27

Ethology, with focus on ultimate questions, and ecology (social systems / mating systems). Strong influence of genetics and population biology.

Question 28

Who are the six fathers of sociobiology? What were their contributions?

Answer 28

Williams: critique of group selection, gene-centric theory.

Hamilton: critique of group selection, kin selection, altruism.

Maynard Smith: critique of group selection, game theory.

Trivers: reciprocal altruism, parental investment.

Wilson: “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis.”

Dawkins: “The Selfish Gene.”

Question 29

What are the three typical issues sociobiology concerns itself with?

Answer 29

Altruism, reproductive strategies (cost-benefit analyses), social and mating systems.

Question 30

In sociobiology, there is strong overlap with _____.

Answer 30

Behavioural ecology.

Question 31

Behavioural ecology is born from _____ and influenced by _____.

Answer 31

Sociobiology; comparative animal psychology.

Question 32

Background of behavioural ecologists is more often what? How does this differ from ethologists?

Answer 32

Ecology. Zoology background of ethologists.

Question 33

In behavioural ecology, what is crucial?

Answer 33

Interactions with environment.

Question 34

What are five typical areas of behavioural ecology?

Answer 34

Energy and time budgets studies.

Foraging strategies.

Interaction between social behaviour and habitat.

Reproductive strategies.

Game theory models.

Question 35

Moynihan (1998) offered different perspectives of behavioural ecology and ethology. What are they?

Answer 35

Behavioural ecology: strategies and environment.

Ethology: Tactics (means to strategies) and behaviours (actions).

Question 36

What are the behaviour classification biases of behavioural ecology and ethology?

Answer 36

Behavioural ecology: functions of behaviours (functional categories).

Ethology: forms (ethogram), mechanisms and origins of behaviours (causal categories).

Question 37

What is a reason why sociobiology was discredited and replaced with behavioural ecology?

Answer 37

Discredited due to biologists using discipline to explain sexism, racism.

Question 38

What was the goal of the behavioural technology company Inscentinel? Why did it fail?

Answer 38

Classically condition bees, each specialized in one odour, to detect scent (e.g., explosives) by sticking proboscis out. Proboscis detected with cameras in vacuum.

Failed due to inappropriately high investment in device.

Question 39

Forensic entomology uses what animals for what purpose?

Answer 39

Sexton or burying beetles and carrion beetles. Used to examine corpses.

Question 40

What was Project ORCON? Why did it fail?

Answer 40

Skinner trained pigeon to peck target (moving dot) to get food. Real world application: directs missiles, therefore accuracy training crucial.

Failed because when missiles launched, G-force pushed pigeons back, killing them.

Question 41

What idea did the CIA use when they wanted to know when a specific spy was coming without using people?

Answer 41

Sprayed clothes with female cockroach pheromones, added cages of male cockroaches by air ventilation. By their behaviour, CIA would know when spy entered building.

Question 42

In the Balkan War, what was the purpose of “spy cats”?

Answer 42

Cat deployed to eavesdrop on dangerous individual’s conversations, directed using sound pulses. Recorded conversations.

Question 43

List two model systems beyond the rat and mouse.

Answer 43

SAD and diurnal/hibernating rodent model using chipmunks and ground squirrels. Theorized homologically from common ancestor - gene expression activates SAD.

Concussions and bird model using rams and woodpeckers (engage in heavy kinetic impacts).

Question 44

What were the former theoretical orientations of Cambridge University and Oxford University?

Answer 44

Cambridge: integration of biology/psychology.

Oxford: biology/psychology distinct entities, should not be integrated; ethological.