Study #7: Test 3: Animal Behavior Flashcards
Experimental Psychology
Studies of genetic, neural and hormonal bases of animal behavior in lab.
Focus: learning & development of behavior
Ethology
Study of animals in natural environment
Leaders: Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinberger and Karl von Frisch (1973 Nobel prize winners)
Focus: evolution of behavior
Behavioral ecology & sociobiology
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
Proximate (how?) Questions
Address immediate physiological and neural mechanisms underlying a behavior
Ultimate (why?) Questions
Address the adaptive value of a behavior or reason it was selected in evolution
Anthropomorphism
application of human traits to anything not human. Scientists try to avoid this because can lead to inaccuracies and misleading interpretations
Instinct
Behaviors that can be performed by an animal without any prior exposure or learning. Behavior is coded in the genes.
LEarning
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
Habituation
simplest type of learning: involves a decrease in response to repeated or continuous stimulation because it is probably not important
Conditioning:
Making associations bet. different stimuli after repeated positive or negative reinforcement ie Ivan Pavlov and his dogs
Latent learning
making associations without immediate reinforcements
insight learning
using cognitive processes to make associations and solve new problems
Communication by visual signals
- 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
Communication by acoustic signals
Sounds can be used during night or day.
Adv: do not need clear line of sight
Comunication by Chemical Signals
Adv: same as acoustic
Disad: cannot be changed quickly
Behavioral ecology
Using ideas from economics to understand animal behavior. ie Costs and/or benefits of performing behavior? If benefit higher than cost, then select behavior.
Optimality: linguistic model proposing that observed forms of language arise from the interaction between conflicting constraints.
Use to determine how to maximize difference between benefits and costs of performing behavior.
Foraging behavior
- What to eat? How much to specialize?
- Food not evenly distributed in patches. How should animal locate new patches?
- As food patch depletes, when should animal leave that patch and look for another?
Ardent or passionate males
Choosy females
lead to sexual selection
Males
brightly colored; ornamented
Ultimate cause of sexual selection
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
Benefits of living in groups
Defense against predators
Cooperation in different tasks
Costs of living in groups
Increased competition
Working out cost/benefit ratio
Answer to whether animal should be group living
Altruism
individual gives up some of its reproductive potential to benefit another individual. CONSIDERED EXTREME FORM OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
How is it possible for altruism to evolve?
For a trait to be selected, the genes coding for the trait need to be passed to the succeeding generations.
Kin selection (W.D. Hamilton)
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.
Haplodiploidy (bees, wasps, ants)
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)
