Week 2 - Causation and Development Flashcards
Reminder: What is behaviour?
All observable processes by which an animal responds to perceived changes in the internal state of its body or the external world
What responses does the body give to a stimuli?
Nero-Endocrine: Nervous system (quick response) and endocrine (allows behaviour to continue)
Learned response/cognitive response
Waning/Heightening of an innate response - an animal can filter certain important and non-important stimuli
What 4 factors cause behaviour?
- Internal
- External (biotic and abiotic)
- Context-Dependent
- Errors
What are the internal factors (2) (+ give an example species)
Biological Rhythms - they reset behaviour over time
- Eg. Circadian rhythm - daily time schedules are reset by hormones
Motivations - homeostatic or non-homeostatic (specific cues from physiological state)
Example: Stag Antlers
–> Hard Antler (aggressive and dangerous stags)
–> Soft Antler (fluffy tissue for non-aggressive stags)
What is homeostasis?
Dynamic Equilibrium - constantly processing to stay in the same condition –> hunger and thirst, temperature regulation
What are the external factors? (+ give species example)
BIOTIC: Population density changes and sex ratio
ABIOTIC: Light, temperature, soils, tide, landmarks
EXAMPLE: Desert Locust
- High population density: longer green coloured
- Low population density: shorter orange/black
What are context-dependent factors (+ give a species example)
Alteration of a reaction to a stimuli with time - so the animal can prioritise their response
The animal is able to differentiate between stimuli to produce the most appropriate response, save energy, and increase survival
What are ‘errors’ in behavioural responses (+ give an example species)
MISIDENTIFICATION of a stimuli
- Hatchling turtles
- Swans on motorways
What is experiential learning?
Experience as the source of learning and development
Active Experimentation –> Concrete Experience –> Reflective Observations –> Abstract Conceptualisation –> Active Experiment
Why does learning develop?
Learning from others permits spread behaviours FASTER than genetic inheritance
Learning from others permits HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL
Learning development; useful for common behaviours in a changing environment
What are the 6 types of learning?
- Innate - born with
- Maturation - maturing instinctive response by using experiences to make response more complex
- Chance - due to interaction with others
- Self - practice makes perfect
- Social Learning (from others)
- Insight - ‘eureka’ (never experienced before)
IMCSSI
1-6:
- Decreasing effect of genes
- Increasing effect of the environment
- What is Innate Behaviour (include fixed action pattern)
Innate = instinctive behaviour
Fixed Action Pattern - an instinctive behavioural sequence that is highly stereotyped and species-characteristics
The full behaviour will continue even if the original stimuli has been removed
Instinctive - no change to the behaviour after learning
What are the six key characteristics of a fixed action pattern?
Stereotyped
Complex
Species-specific
Released - by certain stimuli
Triggered - according to what the stimuli tells the animal to do
Innate - independent of experience
How are stimuli classified during a fixed-action pattern? (+ example: robins)
Sign-Stimuli: The essential cues needed to allow a FAP to be performed
Supernormal Stimulus: Elicits an Exaggerated Response
Example: Robins - sign-stimulus is seeing the red belly of other robins (will continue to be aggressive)
- What is Maturation? (+ example: bower bird)
Behaviours change or start to be expressed at predictable stages as the individual ages
- Behavioural repertoire is developed to enhance the fitness of the adult
Bower Bird: Males build a ‘bower’ and decorates it - all of this is under control of testosterone –> slow build up of testosterone allows the bower bird to observe and learn over time by watching other males
