Topic 1: Proximate and Ultimate causes of behavior

Question 1

What are Tinbergen’s Levels of analysis?

Answer 1

• Tinbergen suggested that behaviour occurs at multiple organizational levels or timescales, and so developed 4 frameworks to organize how we look at animal behaviour.

Question 2

what are the 2 major frameworks for Tinbergen’s levels of behavioural analyses? the 2 under those?

Answer 2

1. Proximate, which looks at behaviour closely. Under this is Causation, and development.
2. Ultimate, which looks at the broad picture of behaviour. Under this is function, and evolutionary history.

Question 3

Describe the causation level of behaviour analysis

Answer 3

• Causation is under Proximate (close)
• it questions what, and how questions (What causes the behaviour?)
• what are the imediate causal mechanisms? What neural. horomonal, other internal systems cause it?
• short-time scale, (seconds, minutes, hours)

Question 4

Describe the development level of behaviour analysis

Answer 4

• development is under proximate
• it questions what and how (how is that behaviour developing?)
• what are the developmental influences on the behaviour? How is the behaviour changed during ontogeny based on internal and external influences.
• slightly longer time scale (days, months, years)

Question 5

Describe the function level of behaviour analysis

Answer 5

• function is under ultimate (Broad picture)
• this questions why (Why do they engage in these behaviours? What does it get them?)
• what is the adaptive function of the behaviour? How does the behaviour contribute to an individuals survival and reproduction? Why do they do it.
• Longer time scale (generations)

Question 6

Describe the evolutionary history level of behaviour analysis

Answer 6

• evolutionary history is under ultimate
• asks ‘where’ questions (Where did the behaviour come from?)
• what is the evolutionary history of the behaviour? Where did the behaviour emerge in the species?
• (Very long timescale (Many generations, evolutionary time)