Unit Review Flashcards
Alpha Dog
The highest-ranking dog in any group
Behavior Modification Programs
Training courses that use rewards and reprimands to stimulate changes in behavior
Behaviorism
The ethological approach that holds that behavior is learned rather than genetically programmed
Breaking Litter Box Training
When a cat urinates or defecates someplace other than its litter box
Breeding
Behaviors that produce and provide for a new generation
Carnivorous
Meat-eating
Classical Conditioning
The type of conditioned learning that associates stimuli that occur at approximately the same time or in roughly the same area
Classical Ethology
Asserts that much of what animals know is instinctive or innate
Classroom
Dog-training sessions conducted in classes with other dogs and owners, geared to familiarizing a dog with other dogs and strangers, thereby minimizing aggressive tendencies
Conditioned Stimulus
Sensory input unrelated to a simple reflex behavior
Corrective Collar
A sliding chain collar, also called a choke collar or choke chain, designed to apply pressure on a dog’s neck with a slight tug
Courtship
Attracting a mate
Dance
A complex pattern of movements performed by a bee that directs other bees to a food source
Estrus
The second stage of heat, during which the female becomes fertile
Ethology
The study of animal behavior
Evolution
The scientific theory that characterizes all related organisms as descended from common ancestors
Feeding
The taking or giving of food
Fixed Action Pattern
A term used by early ethologists to describe stereotypical or predictable species behaviors
Function
In ethological terms, survival value
Grooming
Keeping clean and free of parasites
Habituation
The process of learning that certain objects and events have little bearing on survival and can thus be ignored
Hackles
The hairs over the neck and back that stand up in response to fright or anger
Heat
The female fertile cycle
Herbivores
Animals that don’t eat other animals or insects
Hermaphrodites
Organisms equipped with both male and female sexual organs
Hoarding
Storing surplus food against future need
House Soiling
Urinating or defecating inside the home
Imprinting
The acquisition in the very young of certain fixed action patterns
Innate
Instinctive
Instinct
A combination of unlearned responses characteristic of a species
Instrumental Learning
Learning by trial and error
Jacobsen’s Organ
A tiny opening in a cat’s mouth that combines smell and taste to record and locate smells more precisely
Kennel Training
Intensive dog-training sessions that involve boarding the dog at a kennel for a period of two weeks or longer
Locomotion
Movement, or the ability to move from one place to another
Mapping
The process an animal uses to assess a new environment
Mating
The process that combines both parents’ genetic material
Migration
Movement of living things from one geographic area to another by their own volition
Natural Selection
The process that awards survival and reproductive success to individuals and groups best adjusted to their environment
Naturalists
Natural scientists
Nature-Nurture Controversy
The importance of learning versus the importance of instinct
Navigation
Animals are guided by the sun, stars, and features of the land.
Operant Conditioning
The type of conditioned learning that associates a certain activity, known as the operant, with punishment or reward
Operant
Functioning or tending to produce effects
Parental Behavior
The various techniques employed by animals to provide for their offspring
Play
Animal activity that shows no direct or immediate bearing upon survival
Preen
What birds do to pluck away soiled feathers, parasites, and undesirable particles
Private Lessons
Dog-training sessions conducted in the owner’s home, or occasionally at the trainer’s studio or classroom; the trainer works closely with both owner and dog to instill basic commands or resolve problems.
Proestrus
The first stage of heat, during which the female isn’t fertile
Recognition of Individuals
The process that allows animals to distinguish their place in a social context broader than their relationship with primary caregivers
Sensitive Period
A specific stage early in an animal’s life when imprinting occurs
Shake Can
A can with pebbles or coins in it designed to startle a dog back to attention
Social Behavior
The ways individual members of the same species interact with one another
Socialization
The process of adapting to contact with others
Sociobiology
The study of the biological bases of social behavior
Spatial Learning
Mapping
Spraying
Staining surfaces with a strong-smelling urine
Stimulus-Response Theory
The psychological school of thought that holds all complex forms of behavior,including emotions, thoughts, and habits, are complex muscular and glandular responses that can be observed and measured
Territorial
Prone to defining and defending areas of sleep, eating, exercise, and play
Throw Chain
A chain that’s thrown on the ground to startle a dog back to attention
Training Leash
A six-foot dog leash allowing the dog some freedom of movement while still affording ample control
Unconditioned Response
A simple reflex behavior
Unconditioned Stimulus
Sensory input that produces a simple reflex behavior
Wobble
A training maneuver designed to disorient a bird by abruptly dropping the hand it’s perched upon
