Social Behaviour and Communication - 18 Flashcards
What is social organisation?
Refers to how animals interact with and space themselves in relation to other individuals of the same species. Within the animal kingdom there is huge variation in social organisation e.g. in tigers males and females only come together for mating, whereas elephants live in family groups.
What are approaches to studying social behaviour?
Tinbergen’s 4 questions: Mechanistic (understanding mechanism by which trait achieved), Ontogenetic (factors influencing development of trait), Functional (understanding fitness consequences of trait) & Evolutionary (unravelling evolutionary history of trait).
What are contrasting ideas on why humans are social?
Humans are primarily selfish, solitary and aggressive, but enter into a social contract to curb their naturally selfish instincts (social view). Group living benefits individuals, so that behaviours which facilitate group living are favoured (evolutionary explanation).
What is Darwin’s theory?
Continual competition between individuals in a population for resources and some individuals contribute more offspring to the next gen than others. Provided that offspring resemble parents, traits that give advantage will increase in frequency over time = produces evolutionary change.
What are benefits of group living?
Lowers probability of being killed by predators (primarily shared vigilance and dilution effects and co-operative defence). Better at finding and capturing food. Improved competitive ability. Improved success at rearing young.
What are the costs of group living?
Increased risk of being detected by predators. Higher is of parasitism. Resources have to be shared with other group members. Increased risk of reproductive suppression (for subordinates).
What is altruism?
A behaviour which increases the fitness of the recipient at some cost to the donor. Have to consider indirect benefits as well as direct benefits.
Inclusive fitness: total fitness that an individual gains, by breeding itself and by helping close relatives to breed.
Kin selection: the process by which characteristics are favoured due to their beneficial effects on the survival of close relatives.
What is Hamilton’s rule?
Hamilton’s rule: defines conditions we would expect genes causing an increase in altruistic behaviour to spread: B/C > 1/r. B = benefit to recipient, C = cost to donor, r = coefficient of relatedness (probability that gene in one individual is an identical copy of a gene in another individual).
What is reciprocal altruism?
Trivers (1971): provided the benefit of an altruistic act to the recipient is greater than the cost to the donor, then as long as the help is reciprocated at a later date, both participants gain.
How is social behaviour achieved?
Communication is the basis of social behaviour: animals exchange adapted signals to mediate their relationships with others - this facilitates & underpins social behaviour. Communication therefore a mechanism that allows social behaviour to occur.
What is a key function of communication?
Communication transmits information on the identity of the signaller to a range of different receivers. Social recognition is important for staying in contact with companions & advertising ownership of resources to rivals. Signals allow individuals and groups to assess rivals. Signals also provide crucial info on intentions. Allows individuals of different ranks to interact without getting into fights.
