Comparative Flashcards
(227 cards)
comparative psychology definition
a multidisciplinary enterprise committed to the stuayd of biological, behvaioural, psychological and socail aspects of adaptive behaviour from the standpoint of their evolution and their development
explain the levels of analysis in comparative behaviour
behaviour
cognition
physiology
level of behavioural analysis
ethology
behavioural ecology
animal behaviour
level of cognitive analysis
animal learning
cognitive ethology
animal cognition
level of physiological analysis
physiological psychology
neuroendocrinology
behaviourl neuroscience
who can you compare with? over time changes
non-human = animal psych
human-like = compared to humans
among non-humans = compared to other species
why should we compare species
for their own sake
as a contrasting device
to make inferences about evolution
three methods for making inferences about the evolution of behaviour and cognition
fossil remains (eg tool use)
genes (molecular clocks)
comparisons between extant species
3 views on how should we compare species (just name them)
same method / task
different method / task
functionally equivalent method / task
explain good and bad about using same method / task
suitable for closely related species
but
species-specific adaptation make applicability difficult
explain good and bad about using different method / task
greater phylogenetic aplicability
low coparability
explain good and bad about using functionally equivalent method / task
exploits species-specific adaptation
finding functionally equivalent tasks is difficult
when should we compare species (again just list dont explain)
same age
different ages
functionally equivalent ages
explain good and bad about comparing at the same age
should we use chronological or mental ages?
beware of confounding variables
explain good and bad about comparing at the different ages
can become an end to itself
cross-sectional vs longitudinal are quite different methods
explain good and bad about comparing at functionally equivalent ages
adapted to the species being compared
beware of the rules of thumb eg chimps = 3 yo children
name the terms and briefly explain tinbergen’s four questions
mechanism = proxiate causation (how does it work) function = ultimate causation (why does it exist phylogeny = evolution (how does the species evolve) ontogeny = development how does the individual develop
what are organisms trapped by which determine their survivial
to survive and reproduce (functional, genetic control)
but at the same time
to seek pleasure and avoid pain (mechanistic, endocrinological control)
theory of evolution by natural selection 1958, darwin and walace
variation (raw material for evolution)
leads to
adaptation (process)
leads to
change (those that remain are adapted for the conditions in their environment)
leads to
selection (limited resources so inevitable. process)
three types of selection and briefly explain
natural - related to survival, predator-prey interactions
artifical - related to domestication, pugs vs border collies
sexual - related to reproductive success, male-male competition/ female choice
milton 1981 - resource distribution
spider monkey is a frugivore (patchy distribution), large home range and large brain
vs
howler monkey is a folivore (abundant distribution), small home range and small brain
need to find the conclusion of this study..
explain the three types of ingestive behaviour
foraging = finding food hoarding = saving food feeding = consuming food
what are the two types of mazes
radial maze
water maze
how a radial maze works
reference and working memory
rats - random but accurate search
mice - sequential search