Transcript ANIMAL BEHAVIORS

ANIMAL BEHAVIORS
I. ANIMAL BEHAVIORS
• Ethology: the study of animal behavior
• Behavior (response to a stimulus)is influenced
by:
– Hormones
– Nervous system
• Divided into two types of behavior
– Innate Behavior
– Learned Behavior
A. Innate Behavior
• Innate Behavior: behavior that is performed
correctly the first time an animal does it
– Animal does not have to be taught
– “instincts” or “born” behaviors
• Examples:
– Territoriality
– Protective behaviors
– Courting behaviors
– Hibernation/migration
B. Learned Behavior
• Learned Behavior: are a result of an animals
experience
– “acquired” behavior
– Longer life span and longer period of parental care
equals more learned behaviors
• 4 basic types of learning
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Habituation
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Insight learning
1. Habituation
• Habituation:
– Animal is neither benefited nor harmed by a
stimulus
– Animal learns to ignore the stimulus
• Wonder if you can become “habituated” to
the sound of your alarm clock?
2. Classical Conditioning
• Classical Conditioning:
– Animal will make a mental connection between a
stimulus and some kind of reward/punishment
• Ivan Pavlov and his “dog” experiment
– He noticed dogs salivated
– He taught the dogs to associate receiving food
with the sound of a bell
– Eventually, after many repetitions, he got the dog
to salivate at the sound of the bell alone
3. Operant Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning:
– Animal learns to repeat behaviors that result in
reward, and avoid those that end in punishment
– “trial-and-error” learning
– This learning begins with “random behavior”
– Many animals use this type of learning to identify
sources of food
4. Insight Learning
• Insight Learning:
– Most complicated form of learning
– When an animal applies something it’s already
learned to a new situation
C. Social Behavior
• Social Behavior:
– When animals interact with members of their own
species
– Example is “communal grooming” that you see
among apes/chimpanzees/etc
– Example is aggressive posturing among dogs
before they fight
– These behaviors often reinforce group hierarchies
(leadership roles) and can improve chances of
survival