Study #7: Test 3: Animal Behavior

Question 1

Experimental Psychology

Answer 1

Studies of genetic, neural and hormonal bases of animal behavior in lab.
Focus: learning & development of behavior

Question 2

Ethology

Answer 2

Study of animals in natural environment
Leaders: Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinberger and Karl von Frisch (1973 Nobel prize winners)
Focus: evolution of behavior

Question 3

Behavioral ecology & sociobiology

Answer 3

Uses methods from both experimental psychology and ethology.
Emphasizes using theoretical and mathematical frameworks to understand behavior.
Focus: study animal behavior in an ecological & evolutionary context

Question 4

Proximate (how?) Questions

Answer 4

Address immediate physiological and neural mechanisms underlying a behavior

Question 5

Ultimate (why?) Questions

Answer 5

Address the adaptive value of a behavior or reason it was selected in evolution

Question 6

Anthropomorphism

Answer 6

application of human traits to anything not human. Scientists try to avoid this because can lead to inaccuracies and misleading interpretations

Question 7

Instinct

Answer 7

Behaviors that can be performed by an animal without any prior exposure or learning. Behavior is coded in the genes.

Question 8

LEarning

Answer 8

Involves the change in a behavior with exposure and experience. Adaptive because allows an animal to respond fast to changes in environment and to increase its behavioral repertoire.
MOST BEHAVIORS HAVE BOTH INSTINCTIVE & LEARNED COMPONENTS; SHAPED BY INTERACTION BETWEEN THEM

Question 9

Habituation

Answer 9

simplest type of learning: involves a decrease in response to repeated or continuous stimulation because it is probably not important

Question 10

Conditioning:

Answer 10

Making associations bet. different stimuli after repeated positive or negative reinforcement ie Ivan Pavlov and his dogs

Question 11

Latent learning

Answer 11

making associations without immediate reinforcements

Question 12

insight learning

Answer 12

using cognitive processes to make associations and solve new problems

Question 13

Communication by visual signals

Answer 13

1. Lg amount of info can be conveyed in parellel manner.

2. Disadv: need clear line of sight, hard to see over long distances, not effective in darkness

Question 14

Communication by acoustic signals

Answer 14

Sounds can be used during night or day.

Adv: do not need clear line of sight

Question 15

Comunication by Chemical Signals

Answer 15

Adv: same as acoustic
Disad: cannot be changed quickly

Question 16

Behavioral ecology

Answer 16

Using ideas from economics to understand animal behavior. ie Costs and/or benefits of performing behavior? If benefit higher than cost, then select behavior.

Question 17

Optimality: linguistic model proposing that observed forms of language arise from the interaction between conflicting constraints.

Answer 17

Use to determine how to maximize difference between benefits and costs of performing behavior.

Question 18

Foraging behavior

Answer 18

1. What to eat? How much to specialize?
2. Food not evenly distributed in patches. How should animal locate new patches?
3. As food patch depletes, when should animal leave that patch and look for another?

Question 19

Ardent or passionate males

Choosy females

Answer 19

lead to sexual selection

Question 20

Males

Answer 20

brightly colored; ornamented

Question 21

Ultimate cause of sexual selection

Answer 21

a. Anisogamy or asymmetry in size of gametes
Females produce few large eggs
Males produce many small sperms
b. Different Parental Investments: females invest more, males less
c. Bateman’s Principle: female fitness is ltd by # of eggs or access to resources; male fitness is limited by # of mates

Question 22

Benefits of living in groups

Answer 22

Defense against predators

Cooperation in different tasks

Question 23

Costs of living in groups

Answer 23

Increased competition

Question 24

Working out cost/benefit ratio

Answer 24

Answer to whether animal should be group living

Question 25

Altruism

Answer 25

individual gives up some of its reproductive potential to benefit another individual. CONSIDERED EXTREME FORM OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Question 26

How is it possible for altruism to evolve?

Answer 26

For a trait to be selected, the genes coding for the trait need to be passed to the succeeding generations.

Question 27

Kin selection (W.D. Hamilton)

Answer 27

Copies of genes an individual shares with its close relatives can be passed on even by aiding survival of relatives. Selection acts on genes, not individuals. Sometimes more genes can be passed on by aiding in survival of relatives instead of rearing its own young.

Question 28

Haplodiploidy (bees, wasps, ants)

Answer 28

Males develop from unfertilized eggs: haploid
Females develop from fertilized eggs: diploid.
Daughters receive identical set of genes from male father because he is haploid.
So on average, 2 daughters share 75% of their genes vs. 50% sharing in the more common diploid sex determination. FEMALE WORKER BEE HELPING TO RAISE SISTERS IS ABLE TO PASS ON MORE GENES TO NEXT GEN THAN WHAT SHE CAN PASS ON TO HER OWN OFFSPRING (EXPLAINS WORKER STERILITY IN SOCIAL INSECTS)