Transcript Animal Behavior and Learning

Biology SC30243 Unit 2 Lesson 2
Ethology Part 2 – Learning!
Let’s learn about learning!!
Textbook Disclaimer:
Anthropomorphism
Applying human feelings, human qualities, and human
emotions or traits to animals and other organisms. We
must remember, when studying animal behavior, that
most animals are simply responding to stimuli, and don’t
“think” about the world (or the consequences of their
actions) in the same way that we do.
That said, new evidence suggests that more intelligent
organisms display complex emotions and learning
abilities. Some argue that animals can feel empathy, and
perhaps even a sense of morality! Watch the videos
online to learn more!
1) Learning
• In higher developed animals we can find
learning behavior in addition to FAPs.
• Learning increases the probability of survival,
which increases the chance of reproduction.
• Learning allows individuals to adjust their
responses to stimuli based on their
experiences.
There are 4 main categories of
learning
i.) Habituation
ii.) Classical Conditioning
iii.) Operant Conditioning
iv.) Insight Learning
i.) Habituation:
• Habituation is the simplest type of learning
• Habituation is when an animal decreases or
stops responding to a repetitive stimulus that
neither rewards nor harms the animal.
E.g. Scare-Crows! -- Crows quickly learn that the
Scare-Crow is not an actual person, and will not
chase them or harm them!
They stay and eat the corn…
Other examples of habituation…
• Example 2: A turtle draws its head back into
its shell (response) when its shell is touched
(stimulus).
• How could habituation alter this response?
• After being touched repeatedly with no
negative consequences the turtle realizes it’s
not in danger and no longer hides!
Other examples?
• Living in a big city and hearing police sirens,
car alarms, etc… in the distance; most people
don’t pay much attention!
ii) Classical Conditioning
An animal’s mental connection between a
stimulus and some kind of reward or
punishment (neutral stimulus vs. stimulus of significance)
e.g.: for a many dogs the stimulus of seeing a leash
(neutral stimulus) is associated with a pleasant
reward-a walk outside (stimulus of significance)!
Understanding of Classical
conditioning was pioneered by Ivan
Pavlov and his work with dogs.
Classical Conditioning -- Pavlov’s Dog
The presentation of a
neutral stimulus (the
sound of a bell) along
with a stimulus of some
significance (delicious
food!)
Classical Conditioning:
The same can be done with a tuning
fork, a whistle, a song, or any other
sound / stimulus you’d like!
Speaking of food…
Who’s hungry?
Bored yet?
Habituation and Conditioning
• After enough exposure to a neutral stimulus, a
stimulus that results in no negative or positive
reward, habituation occurs!
• Animals trained through classical conditioning
can be un-trained through habituation!
• E.x. Lazy Dog-Owners: if you bring out the
leash but never walk your dog, it won’t get
excited anymore when it sees the leash!
iii) Operant Conditioning
• When an animal learns through trial and error,
or will adjust or modify its behavior based on
consequences or rewards.
• Random behaviors can lead to a reward or a
punishment. Those behaviors can then be
kept, forgotten, or changed depending on the
results!
Operant conditioning in the wild: Mr.
Coyote tried to chase down a delicious
and spikey-looking animal for dinner.
What did Mr. Coyote learn?
Operant Conditioning via a
“Skinner Box”
Operant Conditioning via the
Skinner Box
• It contains a button or lever that, when
pressed, delivers a food reward.
• After an animal is rewarded several times, it
learns that it gets food whenever it presses
the button or lever.
Advanced behavior
Insight learning
• When an animal applies something it has
already learned to a new situation, without a
period of trial and error, it is called insight
learning.
• Common among humans, primates, whales
and dolphins, and among intelligent birds like
crows, ravens and parrots.
Bananas are kept out of reach…
What does the chimpanzee do?
Success!
• Chimpanzees are
capable of insight
learning – using their
past experience and
knowledge to perform
new tasks, or to solve
complex problems.
Insight Learning in Crows: the 8-step
problem solved by 007 (the bird not
the man)
Textbook Assignment: Imprinting and
Konrad Lorenz!
Imprinting
• Imprinting involves both innate and learned
behavior.
• Young animals learn to recognize and follow
the first moving object that they see during a
critical time early in their lives. Usually, this
object is their mother.
• Acquired during a limited, critical time period
(usually right after birth)
Imprinting on aircraft
Animals can be imprinted to :
• People
• Animals of other species
• Moving and non-moving dead objects
(e.g.: a leather-boot)
They only have to be exposed to these things
during a critical time early in their lives.
Follow-Up Questions!
• 1) Look at page 842-843 in your textbook.
Name the four different types of learning and
provide one example of each.
• 2) Describe Imprinting. Is it a learned
behavior, an innate behavior, or a mix of each?