What Is Behaviour

Question 1

What is behaviour about?

Answer 1

Efficiency for the animal. Behaviour must trigger something/ have consequences otherwise the animal won’t do it.

Question 2

What is the “dead man test”

Answer 2

If a dead man can do it, it isn’t behaviour.

Question 3

What is behaviour..

Answer 3

Observable activity, something an animal does.

Question 4

Types of Behaviour (6) + example

Answer 4

Molecular behaviour - swallowing
Molar Behaviour - Manual (moving away)
Overt - visible (eating)
Covert - not visible (thinking)
Voluntary - determined (speaking)
Involuntary - occurs naturally (breathing)

Question 5

The name of the study of animal behaviour from a biological slant?

Answer 5

Ethology

Question 6

Two types of stimuli behaviour is triggered by

Answer 6

Internal and external stimuli.

Question 7

Other than external and internal stimuli, behaviour science looks at (x3)

Answer 7

How genes and the environment coincide
Evolutionary growth
Adaptation to changes in the environment.

Question 8

Behaviour occurs ___ ___ ______

And is a response to _______, either ______ or ______

Answer 8

For a reason.
Stimuli
Internal.
External.

Question 9

Behaviours are _______, if they do not do something they are _______

Answer 9

Effective.

Ineffective

Question 10

What is behaviour ecology

Answer 10

Evolutionary basis for animal behaviour. Behaviours that develop over time, are ‘selected’ (for survival).

Question 11

What are Tinbergen’s four “whys”?

Answer 11

Causation, ontogeny, functional, evolution.

Question 12

What are the two types of causes

Answer 12

Proximate and ultimate.

Question 13

What are the anatomical and physiological mechanisms underlying a behaviour? (causation) (5) What type of cause is it?

Answer 13

Genetic bases
Neural mechanisms 
Hormonal Mechanisms
Morphology 
Environmental (External Stimuli, see above in notes)

Proximate cause

Question 14

What is the ontogeny (development) of a behaviour (x3)? What type of cause is it?

Answer 14

Changes with age
Interactions of genes with environment (over time)
Innate vs. Learned components

Question 15

What are the functional (adaptive) reasons for a behaviour(x2)? - What type of cause is it?

Answer 15

What is purpose of the behaviour?
Contribution of a behaviour pattern to individual fitness (survival).
Ultimate cause

Question 16

What is the evolutionary history of a behaviour(2)? What type of cause is it?

Answer 16

Expression of a behaviour in related species
Evolutionary changes in behaviour in related lineages
Ultimate cause.

Question 17

What is “fitness”

Answer 17

Persistence of genes in a population.

Animals that engage in complex behaviour survive and reproduce because they have inherited genes that allow them to be successful in a particular environment.

Question 18

Natural selection traits (3)

Answer 18

Ones that ensure survival and easy care:
Ones that increase suitability for intended use:
Ones that are socially unacceptable:

Question 19

What is survival of the fittest?

Answer 19

The better adapted you are to an environment, the more likely you will survive

Question 20

What is Artificial Selection

Answer 20

Human selected traits in animals (humans have done this for centuries)
Easy care & Survival, increased trainability, more production, reduced fear/aggression, socially acceptable
CAN GO WRONG

Question 21

What is morphology? How is it selected?

Answer 21

Physical size shape and structure of the animal

Morphology and behaviour can be independently selected.

Question 22

WYM instinct vs experience?

Answer 22

Behaviour results from the interaction of genetically based behaviours, and behaviours based on experience.
Behaviour may be instinctive, learned, or the result of an interaction between learned and innate behavioural patterns.

Question 23

Instinctual behaviour is…

Answer 23

under strong genetic control.

Performed in the same way by all individuals of a species or a population across environments

Question 24

Fixed action patterns are…

Answer 24

Unchangeable series of actions triggered by a specific stimulus: (goose sees egg outside the group, pulls egg back to group)
Fish automatically fights one species of fish
Once initiated, the sequence is performed in its entirety, regardless of any changes in circumstances.

Question 25

Learned Behaviour is….

Answer 25

modification of behaviour as a result of specific experiences. Learning enables animals to change their behaviours in response to changing environmental conditions .

Question 26

Instinct is…

Answer 26

Instinctive (Genetics, not modified by individual)

Uniform across population
Unaffected by environment
Beneficial

Question 27

Learned is…

Answer 27

Based on experience (Modified by individual, trial & error)

High variation across population
Affected by environment
Capacity to learn = natural selection

Question 28

What is imprinting?

Answer 28

Interaction between innate and learned behaviour
Learning that is limited to a specific time period in an animal’s life, and that is generally irreversible. (sensitive period).

Question 29

Who used Geese to study imprinting? How did he do it?

Answer 29

Konrad Lorenz, he spent the sensitive period with hatchlings and they followed him around, having no recognition for their mother.

Question 30

What other models of behaviour are there (6)?

Answer 30

Perception & Detection
Discrimination
Acquisition
Choice & Preference (Game theory - study of how and why people make choices)
Classical conditioning (Automatic processing)
Operant behaviour. (Behavioural economics).

Question 31

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 31

Pairing an innate behaviour with a known stimulus.

Question 32

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 32

Operant conditioning focuses on the consequences of behaviour.

Question 33

What are the ABCs of behaviour, what do they mean?

Answer 33

Antecedent (what triggered it), Behaviour (what did the animal do?) Consequences (how did it that behaviour benefit the animal?)

Question 34

What are the different types of behaviour? (11)

Answer 34

Maternal
Dominance Hierarchies
Agonistic Behaviour (Threatening or combative interaction between two individuals of the same species)
Competitive Behaviours
Territorial Behaviours
Foraging Behaviours
Migratory Behaviours
Communication Behaviours (Vocal, pheramones, body language)
Altruistic Behaviour (Rats will choose friendship over food).
Courting behaviour
Nurturing behaviour.

Question 35

What is cognitive behaviour?

Answer 35

Cognitive behaviour: Thinking, reasoning, processing information to understand complex concepts and solve problems are cognitive behaviours (Frontal lobe).