The ethological explanation of aggression Flashcards
What is the ethological explanation?
An explanation that stresses the adaptive value of animal behaviour - they study the behaviour patterns of animals in their natural habitats
What does FAP stand for?
Fixed action pattern
What are FAPs?
A repertoire of stereotyped behaviours which occur in specific situations
What are FAPs triggered by?
Sign stimuli
What are FAPs produced by?
Innate releasing mechanisms (IRMs)
What is an IRM?
A neural network that produces an FAP
What are the 4 characteristics of FAPs?
Stereotyped, universal, independent of individual experience and ballistic
When we say an FAP is ballistic, what do we mean?
Once it has been triggered it cannot be stopped
Who conducted research into FAPs?
Tinbergen
What animal did Tinbergen study?
Stickleback fish
What is the sign stimulus in stickleback fish?
The red underbelly of male fishes
What is ritualistic aggression?
When animals use a range of behaviours as a threat display without engaging in violence
Give an example of ritualistic aggression.
Chest pounding
What is appeasement behaviour?
Behaviour that shows an animal doesn’t want to engage in violence
Give an example of an appeasement display in dogs.
Exposing belly by rolling over
What are the 4 AO3 points of the ethological explanation of aggression?
1) Benefits of ritualised aggression
2) Killing conspecifics is not that rare
3) Do humans have an FAP?
4) Criticisms of an ‘instinctive’ view of aggression
What is the main benefit of ritualised aggression?
It prevents conflicts escalating into dangerous physical aggression
In which tribe is there evidence of ritualistic aggression?
Yanomamo tribe
Where are the Yanomamo tribe found?
South America
What forms of ritualistic aggression do the Yanomamo tribe engage in?
Chest pounding and club fighting
How do eskimos settle grudges?
Song duels
Give two examples of animals that kill conspecifics?
Male lions kill other lions cubs, and chimpanzees kill chimpanzees from other groups
Why may FAPs no longer be adaptive?
As the environment we live in is changing so rapidly
What type of validity do FAPs lack?
Temporal validity
Why is aggressive behaviour less fixed than it used to be?
The ability to adapt to the ever-changing environment has proved more important in survival than fixed behaviours
Who criticised Lorenz’s theory of instinctual aggression?
Lehrman
Why did Lehrman criticise Lorenz’s theory of instinctual aggression?
He believed that Lorenz underestimated the role of environmental factors in the development of species-typical aggression
In modern ethology, what term has replaced ‘FAP’?
Behaviour pattern
