Week 10 Flashcards
Tinbergen’s Questions
causation
development
adaptive function
evolutionary history
Tinbergen’s overarching question
Why does an animal exhibit a particular behaviour?
causation
what physiological mechanisms cause the behaviour?
development
How did the behaviour develop? (Focus on the role of genes and the environment in shaping the development of the behaviour)
adaptive function
How does the behaviour promote the individual’s ability to survive and reproduce?
evolutionary history
how did the behaviour evolve over time?
displays
patterns of behaviour that are species specific and tend to follow the same sequence of actions whenever they are repeated and in a way that is similar from one individual to the next
Considered stereotypes
FAPs
displays that consist of a sequence of behaviours that, once triggered, is followed through to completion
key stimulus
stimulus that initiates the behaviour
supernormal stimulus
larger than normal stimulus naturally encountered, but elicits an exaggerated response
feature detectors
specialised sensory receptors or groups of sensory receptors that respond to important signals in the environment
neuron vs hormones
Effect of a neuron is typically short lived and local
Hormones more prolonged and widespread
Can affect multiple cells in target organs simultaneously
non associative learning
occurs in the absence of any particular outcome, such as a reward or punishment
habituation
reduction or elimination of a behavioural response to a repeatedly presented stimulus
sensitisation
enhancement of a response to a stimulus that is achieved by presenting a strong or novel stimulus first; the first stimulus makes the animal more alert and responsive to the next stimulus
associative learning
when an animal learns to link or associate two event
CC
a stimulus that leads to a behaviour was paired with a neutral stimulus that initially had nothing to do with the behaviour
OC
punishment or reinforcement guide future behaviour
imprinting
young animals acquire a certain behaviour in response to key experiences during a critical period of development
filial imprinting
common in species whose offspring leave the nest and walk around while still young; the first being that a hatchling sees is a parent and they develop an association with them; developing an association with first thing they see
Occurs during a specific, sensitive period in the animal’s life and the results are usually irreversible
proximate causes
mechanisms underlying behaviour
environmental stimuli
genetic or physiological mechanisms
ultimate causes
evolutionary significance of behaviour and how it is favoured by selection
