tame
animal accepts humans and will be less likely to flee from humans
domesticated
animals that have been selectively bred and cared for by humans
may or may not be tame
history of domestication
animals were vital to assist in farm work, clothing, protection, and food. Land management became easier and tasks were quicker to complete. Difficult to feed and care for the animals. Feeding the animals was hard.
7 Animal behaviors that favored domestication
herd bound/social structure sexual behavior parent/young interactions responses to humans strict diets adaptability to a lot of environmental conditions limited agility
dog domestication
- jawbone and teeth are smaller-found in Iraq
- selective breeding can happen accidentally, causing desirable characteristics to be passed down
results of domestication
- changed in the threshold at which many behavior patterns occur
- changes in the response to key stimuli; they may respond to new stimuli
- neonatal behavioral patterns have been prolonged in some cases
- certain types of learning have been enhanced but they are difficult to prove
nature .vs. nurture
is behavior based on the environment a person is around or their genetics
epigenesis
The combination of genetic and environmental factors
Recently there has been an obesity gene that was found that can be turned on. It can be switched on by certain diet and environment.
It is the study of which there is a behavior, appearance change but the gene stays the same.
ecological niche
Species live in a same area but are totally different. This niche is how the animal responds and is dependent on the various species.
The “circle of life” and how they all depend and work together
behavioral niche
how an organism makes a living
ontogenetic niche shifts
This niche is how the animal moves and changes the environment throughout their lifetime
Allows for ecological traits to be passed down
EX: tadpole, weird in between, frog
ontogeny
How an animal develops
when does behavior development begin
neural development
sensory and motor stimulation
what is neural development
production and distribution of neurons in utero
establish appropriate synapses in utero
connection between early development and adult behavior is not very linear
what is sensory and motor stimulation
embryonic reflex response
maternal experiences and offspring behavior
Studies have been done where parents and children are similar due to things that happen in utero.
EX: if mother is stressed during pregnancy than it results in an increase in cortisol that results in anxiety in humans
EX2: The rats and pups when the mothers are handled
what are hormones
any organic chemical that is secreted by a gland into the circulatory system and is transported to some target organ.
what does the hormone need to interact with to affect behavior
to affect behavior, the hormone must eventually interact with the brain.
four classes or hormones
proteins/polypeptides steroids monoamines lipid-based (normally 1 class of hormone is produced by glands, exception: placenta and adrenal medulla)
general characteristics of hormones
1) long latency of action
2) promote homeostasis
3) control metabolic processes
4) low concentration
5) high specificity
6) closely regulated–neg or pos feedback
pituitary gland secretions
luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormones, testosterone stimulating hormones, and growth hormone
luteinizing hormone
secreted by pituitary gland
spike in this hormone stimulates ovulation
follicle stimulating hormone
secreted by pituitary gland
allows for egg follicle to develop prior to ovulation
testosterone stimulating hormone
secreted by pituitary gland
allows for the development of testosterone in the body
growth hormone
secreted by pituitary gland
allows you to grow
hypothalamus secretions
gonadotrophin releasing hormone
gonadotrophin releasing hormone
secreted by the hypothalamus
allows for the release and development of estrogen and testosterone
adrenal gland secretions
adrenalin and corticosterone
adrenaline
secreted by adrenal glands
allows you to do crazy things like lift up a car
corticosterone
secreted by adrenal glands
regulatory hormone that maintains energy and immune function
pineal gland secretions
melatonin
melatonin
secreted by the pineal gland
allows for sleep
pancreas secretions
insulin and glucagon
insulin
secreted by the pancreas
keeps blood sugar level from getting too high
glucagon
secreted by the pancreas
keeps blood sugar level from getting too low
thyroid gland secretions
thyroxin and triiodothyronine
thyroxin
secreted by thyroid gland
helps with cardiovascular and digestive functions
triiodothyronine (aka T3)
secreted by thyroid gland
affects all processes int he body including growth and metabolism
parathyroid secretions
parathyroid hormone (PTH)
parathyroid hormone (PTH)
secreted by the parathyroid
regulates the amount of calcium in the blood
testis and ovaries secretions
estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
estrogen
secreted by the ovaries
allows for ovulation and secondary sex characteristics of a female
progesterone
secreted by the ovaries
the “pregnancy hormone”; tells the body to stop cycling and prepare for a baby
testosterone
secreted by the testis
allows for the spermatogenesis and secondary sex characteristics of the male
placenta
all hormones released are steroids
thymus secretions
thymosin
thymosin
secreted by the thymus
produces T-Cells which are vital in the immune system and pathogen resistance
freemartin effect
if a cow is pregnant with twins and one is a boy and one is a female, the female will be sterile because she is exposed to too much testosterone in utero
litter species birth order
in animals that have large litters there is a higher likelihood of hermaphrodites when there is a female between two male piglets in utero due to the high exposure rate of testosterone
human birth order
if a female has a child and it is a boy and she is pregnant with another boy; there is a higher likelihood of the second boy being homosexual due to a higher exposure of estrogen in utero. Evolutionarily, it is better for a female to have a boy and a girl offspring
affect of hormones on appearance
males: tend to be larger, more colorful
females: tend to be smaller, and more likely to camouflage
affect of estrogen on behavior patterns
allows for stimulation of LH which causes ovulation which causes behavioral changes such as vulva winking (horses), howling (cats), restless behavior, and menstrual bleeding (dogs)
affect of testosterone on behavior patterns
allows for spermatogenesis (production of sperm) and behavioral changes during puberty such as humping, sexual play, and attempts at mating (mounting)
how do hormones do what they do
change overall level of organisms activity, alter structures involved in making a particular response, change the threshold of sense organs, directly stimulate particular neural centers, participate in indirect stimulation through other endocrine glands, and affect development of the nervous system
the brain as an endocrine target
hormone action on the brain is probably due to its effects on some aspects of a neurotransmitter’s metabolism
five main categories of hormones effects on the central nervous system
feedback, activation, organization, neuromodulation, general metabolic effects
positive feedback loop
enhances changes to enable a system to move away from its equilibrium state and cause it to be more unstable
negative feedback loop
buffers changes to allow a system to stay at an equilibrium and cause it to be more stable
hypothalamic differentiation in males
testosterone from the fetal testis reaches the brain. testosterone is converted to estradiol by aromatase enzyme in the hypothalamus. Regression of the hypothalamic GnRH surge center by estradiol. Defeminization of the hypothalamus
learning
the process that happens when there is an adaptive change in individual behavior as a result of experience. Involved in the perfection and shaping of most behavior patterns and is an experimental tool in the study of behavior
classical conditioning
strengthening of an association between a conditioned stimulus and a response through repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus in a relationship with an unconditioned stimulus that originally created the response
EX: pavlov dog experiment
conditioning can be quantified by:
1) amplitude of conditioned reflex
2) latency of response
3) number of reinforcements needed before first measurable response appears
4) percent of correct responses
extinction
loss of response, can occur if the conditioned stimulus is continuously presented without a reward or unconditioned stimulus
generalization
other stimuli may provoke the same response
inhibition
extinction to one stimulus may be true for all
discrimination
distinction between similar stimuli in order to produce a response
operant conditioning
developed by Skinner by placing animals in boxes that operated with levers. An animal is going to do something because they want to perform a behavior to get an award and do well
what is the most effective method of reinforcement that leads to long term learning
the variable ratio
habituation
simplest type of learning
animal learns to not respond to repeated stimuli that have no significance in the life of the animal
involves innate responses
can occur due to a lack of reinforcement following the response
EX: saddle on horses
latent learning
learning without a reward
the knowledge is not displayed at the time of learning but will be displayed later
related to curiosity and exploration
insight learning
occurs when animals solve problems
no trial and error
solution to problem appears instantly
imprinting
limited to short critical sensitive period
mostly irreversible
involves the broad characteristics of the species and not the particular characteristics of the parent so that the animal will direct its sexual behavior towards an animal similar to the parent
chaining
performance pf a series of operant responses in a sequence
used for circus and show animals who must perform in a certain order
conceptual learning
requires the most intelligence
simplest form is the ability to respond to a characteristic shared by a bunch of different specific stimuli
roadblocks to learning
stress, anxiety, and fear
motivation
animal will respond to a stimulus if it is enough and the strength of the drive or need for the stimulus is high enough
more than one need may compete and when they are of equal strength can satisfy neither and result in displacement activities
motivational things
food, water, shelter, injury avoidance, life preservation, and maintain homeostasis
training an animal
involves learning, motivation, and socialization
4 P’s of Training:
practice, persistence, patience, praise