Mod 1 (L1 + L2)

Question 1

L1

Ethology

Answer 1

The scientific study of animal behavior (how animals interact with their world and each other

Question 2

L1

APPLIED ethology

Answer 2

the science of managing the behavior of animals under our care (or that we come into conflict with)

Question 3

L1

Who are the ‘recorded’ pioneers of ethology

Answer 3

Dead white men

• Karl von Frisch
• Konrad Lorenz (Nazi)
• Niko Tinbergen

Question 4

L1

What theory did the pioneers of ethology prove first?

Answer 4

Behavior is “adaptive”
What animals do is as much a product of evolution as what they look like

Question 5

L1

What did Karl von Frisch study

Answer 5

Bees - waggle dance

Question 6

L1

What did Niko Tinbergen study

Answer 6

Causes and functions of specific behaviors (eggshell removal by gulls)

Question 7

L1

What did Konrad Lorenz discover?

Answer 7

Imprinting on baby birds

Question 8

L1

Who is Charles Turner and what did he discover?

Answer 8

Zoologist from 1867-1923. Before the 3 “pioneers”
Discovered that bees can hear and see colour

Question 9

L1

What are Tinbergen’s ‘4 whys’?

Answer 9

It is a framework for thinking about animal behavior with 4 categories:
Phylogenetic
Developmental
Causal
Functional

Question 10

L1

What is a PHYLOGENETIC explanation?

Answer 10

• refers to genetic inheritances from previous generations
• eg. the influence of the taxonomic group
• eg. the effects of natural or artificial selection

Question 11

L1

What category of the ‘4 whys’ does this question belong to:
How does and animal’s evolutionary past in the wild or its history of domestication, affect the behavior?

Answer 11

Phylogenetic question

Question 12

L1

What category of the ‘4 whys’ does this question belong to:
How do closely related species compare?

Answer 12

Phylogenetic question

Question 13

L1

What category of the ‘4 whys’ does this question belong to:
What are the effects of sub-species/strain/breed parentage or individual genes?

Answer 13

Phylogenetic question

Question 14

L1

The duck is quacking because Anseriformes cannot sing; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 14

Phylogenetic example

Question 15

L1

the sheep is frightened of dogs because of her ancestors evolved surrounded by wolves; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 15

Phylogenetic example

Question 16

L1

The mouse has a tremor because its strain was created to model Parkinson’s disease; is what kind of example (4whys)

Answer 16

Phylogenetic example

Question 17

L1

What is a DEVELOPMENTAL explanation?

Answer 17

• accounts for an animal’s behavior in the terms od their previous experience
  AND/OR
• their developmental stage

Question 18

L1

What category of the ‘4 whys’ does this question belong to:
How does early experience affect the form/timing of a particular behavior expressed later in life?

Answer 18

Developmental question

Question 19

L1

What category of the ‘4 whys’ does this question belong to:
How does and animal’s current stage of development affect the for/timing of a behavior?

Answer 19

Developmental question

Question 20

L1

The piglets are fleeing because they were exposed to high corticosterone levels in utero; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 20

Developmental example

Question 21

L1

The cat friendly because s/he was well socialized; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 21

Developmental example

Question 22

L1

What does PHYLOGENETIC and DEVELOPMENTAL together account for?

Answer 22

Together these 2 account for the basic phenotype of an animal

Question 23

L1

What is a CAUSAL explanation?

Answer 23

• refers to the immediate, current factors and initiate, control, and terminate the behavior (eg. what triggers or terminates a bout of behavior)
• also to underlying mechanism, the ‘how’

Question 24

L1

What category of the ‘4 whys’ does this question belong to:
How do internal and external factors initiate, maintain, and terminate a behavior?

Answer 24

Causal question

Question 25

# L1 What category of the '4 whys' does this question belong to: How does it work - what machinery is involved in the behavior?

Answer 25

Causal question

Question 26

# L1 The lynx is eating quickly because she is highly motivated by hunger; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 26

Causal example

Question 27

# L1 The robin is singing because his testosterone levels are high, and because his syrinx vibrates in particular ways when air is expelled over it; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 27

Causal example

Question 28

# L1 The primate is rocking because of altered levels of neurotransmitters in parts of the forebrain; is what kind of example (4 whys)

Answer 28

Causal example

Question 29

# L1 What is a FUNCTIONAL explanations

Answer 29

- refers to the beneficial consequences of the behavior for the animal (and how they outweigh any costs)

Question 30

# L1 What are the 2 functional levels?

Answer 30

proximate and ultimate

Question 31

# L1 What is PROXIMATE function?

Answer 31

Benefits that are quite immediate (and perhaps learned) short term results

Question 32

# L1 What is ULTIMATE function?

Answer 32

Benefit the evolutionary fitness of the animal long term results

Question 33

# L1 What category of the '4 whys' does this question belong to: What are the consequences of a behavior: the net benefits?

Answer 33

Functional question

Question 34

# L1 What category of the '4 whys' does this question belong to: Does the behavior pattern even have a current function (is it instead manipulative or malfunctional?)

Answer 34

Functional question

Question 35

# L1 What is another term for function?

Answer 35

Utility

Question 36

# L1 What category of the '4 whys' does this explanation belong to: The animal is grooming to induce opioid release (which we believe 'feels good')

Answer 36

Functional - Proximate

Question 37

# L1 What category of the '4 whys' does this explanation belong to: The birds preen to keep their plumage parasite free

Answer 37

Functional - Proximate

Question 38

# L1 What category of the '4 whys' does this explanation belong to: Parasite-free plumage helps a male attract mates, and so increases his chance of passing on his genes

Answer 38

Functional - Ultimate

Question 39

# L1 What are 3 reasons the '4 whys' framework is useful?

Answer 39

1. It simplifies: - behavior is the most complex - and most plastic - aspect of n animal's phenotype 2. I's a recipe for **thoroughness**: - especially for applied problems 3. A way of appreciating that different levels of explanation are **complementary**, not alternatives

Question 40

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is a hypothesis?

Answer 40

* A proposed explanation ofa pattern or phenomenon that may or may not be true * We **t****est** the hypothesis using specific observations or experiments, to provide evidence for or against it * There can be more that one hypothesis under test at once ('competing' hypotheses)

Question 41

# L2 (Behavior methods) What makes a good hypothesis?

Answer 41

* Very clear and specific: no waffle! * Must be empirically testable * *How?* Makes specific predictions that can be tested with data, and that distinguish it from other copmeting hypotheses * e.g. Tinbergen's hypothesis of eggshell removal in gulls is due to predation

Question 42

# L2 (Behavior methods) What are the three main ways to test behavioral hypotheses?

Answer 42

1. Experimental: *manipulative variables to asses their consequences* 2. Observational: *watch/record animals, and collect data specific to your hypothesis* 3. Comparative: *look for patterbs if relationships across species*

Question 43

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is an ethogram?

Answer 43

A list of precisely described behaviors that are recorded in a study

Question 44

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is **_INTRA_**-oberver reliability?

Answer 44

**Intra:** within * means each individual observer is **_consistent with themseves_**, i.e has stable criteria and sticks to them * achieved through practice

Question 45

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is **_INTER_** - observer reliability?

Answer 45

**Inter**: between * Means different observers are **_consistent with each other_**, e.g. get the same results from the same video * Achieved through practice

Question 46

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is **habituation**?

Answer 46

Pre- exposure that permits unlearned responses to wane

Question 47

# L2 (Behavior methods) What are 3 different ways to collect behavior data?

Answer 47

1. _Time sampling_: recording a regular, pre-set intervals 2. _Event recording_: scoring all instances, whenever they happen 3. _Continuous recording_: recording a focal animal (for s set time period)

Question 48

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is an **_EVENT?_**

Answer 48

Breif behaviour pattern which are best counted rather than measured in terms of duration (e.g. alarm calls)

Question 49

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is a **BOUT?**

Answer 49

Natural chunks or sequences of behavior performed without breaks (Have a duration that is easily measured)

Question 50

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is **LATENCY?**

Answer 50

Time between the presentation of a stimulus/opportunity, and the initiation of a behavior

Question 51

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is a **TIME BUDGET?**

Answer 51

Percent (%) of the day (or observation period) spent doing X, Y, or Z behaviors

Question 52

# L2 (Behavior methods) In a time budget what is the **RATE?**

Answer 52

Number of behaviours per unit of time

Question 53

# L2 (Behavior methods) In a time budget, what is **PREVALENCE?**

Answer 53

Percent (%) of the subject doing X, Y, or Z

Question 54

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is **NON-SYSTEMIC ERROR?**

Answer 54

* Factors that affect our results, but don't bias them in any particular direction * *Sometimes* leads to erroneous conclusions, but *typically* just risks obscuring real results

Question 55

# L2 (Behavior methods) What are some ways to avoid the inaccuracies caused by **non-systemic error?**

Answer 55

* All humans are well trained and have good IORs * The study long, so the odd \*\*\*\*-up doesn't matter * The animals are *habituated* * The sample size is large so that individual idiosyncrasies don't have too much effect on the data

Question 56

# L2 (Behavior methods) What is **SYSTEMIC ERROR?**

Answer 56

Factors that bias the our findings consistently in **one direction...** so as to give us 'fake results'

Question 57

# L2 (Behavior methods) What are **CONFOUNDS?**

Answer 57

When experimental treatment groups differ in more than jsut experimental treatment... so then when you get an effect you don't know why

Question 58

# L2 (Behavior methods) What are **BIASES?**

Answer 58

Where the experimenter influences the results (accidently or on purpose)

Question 59

# L2 (Behavior methods) What are qualities of a good behavior paper?

Answer 59

* have clearly stated hypothesis * explain why they collected the data they did, and why they used the methods they did * if reliant on humans for scoring, will have a good ethogram, blinding, and good intra-/inter-observer reliability * use good sample sizes, and avoid confounds