Test 1 Flashcards
What are the five things that make natural selection work
Traits are passed on to offspring, these traits make individuals more or less likely to survive, individuals that are more likely to survive tend to have more offspring passing on those traits, there are always more offspring born than can survive, there is variability in traits
What are the focuses of behavioral ecology
how behavior fuctions, strategies of it, and field studies of it
What are the methods for evaluating behavior
Evaluating in the field via ethograms or a sampling method
What are the focuses of comparative psychology
how animals learn through controlled experimentation
What are some examples of experiments used in comparative psychology
Pavlov’s experiment with the salivating dog and Skinner’s experiment with associative learning through reinforcement
How does behavioral ecology relate to Tinbergen’s questions
Relates to question asking what the function of the behavior is; explores how the behavior helps the animal survive; an ultimate question that looks at evolution and function
How does comparative psychology relate to Tinbergen’s questions
Most closely related to Tinbergen’s question asking how a behavior can develop; proximate question that looks at causation and development
how does experience influence behavior
Through declarative memory which is facts that animals know such as mates, offspring, and dominance relationships and non-declarative memory which is when a strong emotional connection is made to a memory. For example, if an animal approaches a skunk the skunk may eject its spray which will cause the animal to no longer approach a skunk should it encounter one later in its life
How does genetics influence behavior
DNA codes for proteins which can turn on/off genes and can affect the composition and organization of an animal which influences how it behaves. For example, when an animal smells they are using sensory receptors which signal to the brain that there is something good/bad nearby.
What does SN, MN, CN, and P stand for in terms of neurons
sensory neuron, muscle neuron, comman neuron, and interneuron
What is a CPG and how does it work
central pattern generator, one neuron inhibts the other and over time that neuron will adapt (decrease firing rate) allowing other neuron to turn on and cycle continues
What are things to label on a graph pertaining to optimal foraging area
travel time and optimal time in area
What are the activational effects of hormones
usually happen in adulthood and has short term effects, influences expression of specific patterns of behavior, and can involve subtle changes in previously established nerual circuits
What are the organizational effects of hormones
usually happens early in organisms and has permanent effects, development of neural circuits responsible for behavior and structures used in behavior
What are two hypotheses for how hormones affect mating rituals
activational: during mating season hormones are released that have an acivational effect that cause male fiddler crabs to wave their large claw up and down to attract female fiddler crabs
organizational: hormones at the beginning of fiddler crabs life establish whether the crab will develop a large claw and the neural circuit to wave it up and down (males) or will have two small claws (females)
