W1 - Animal Behaviour (History, Analysis) [Dr. Madikiza] Flashcards
Explain the history of animal behaviour?
People wanted to understand animals for exploitation of prey through hunting, domestication & scientific study.
Ways prey were & are exploited? (3)
• Hunting.
• Domestication.
• Scientific study.
Hunting?
= understand animal behaviour to better capture prey (from prehistory till today).
Domestication?
= understand animal behaviour to be able to train animals to do what they desire them to do (seen in horses, dogs, not cats).
Scientific study?
= understand animal behaviour for the purposes of answering Tinbergen’s questions.
People involved in scientific study to understand animal behaviour? (3)
• Lorenz.
• Tinbergen.
• von Frisch.
The history of animal behaviour began with ethology, why ethology?
Ethologists believed that in order to fully understand animal behaviour, an animal has to be in its natural environment (no manipulation).
Why the shift & diversification from ethology?
It’s because even though one could understand animal behaviour with the animal in its natural environment, a true scientist would want to quantify that/what they’re seeing & the only way one can do that is through laboratory settings & manipulation in a sense.
Approaches to behavioural studies? (2)
• Mechanistic approach.
• Ethological approach.
Mechanistic approach is AKA?
Comparative psychology.
Mechanistic approach attributes? (5)
• Physiological.
• Developmental.
• Quantitative.
• Laboratory-orientated.
• Manipulate the animal.
Ethological approach attributes? (4)
• Evolutionary.
• Comparative.
• Descriptive.
• Field-oriented.
Mechanistic approach answers which questions of Tinbergen? (2)
• What does the behaviour? (Causation)
• How did the behaviour develop? (Ontogeny)
Ethological approach answers which Tinbergen questions? (2)
• Function of behaviour? (Function/Survival value)
• How it evolved? (Phylogeny)
Niko Tinbergen?
= founder of Experimental ethology.
The 4 Questions of Tinbergen?
• Causation/Mechanism.
• Ontogeny/Development.
• Function/Survival value.
• Evolution/Phylogeny.