ethology and animal behaviours

Innate

instinctive and inherted in the genome of an organism. It is not influenced by the environment. It carries in same way by all individuals of a species. No learning is needed and it helps species survive.

Instinctive

behavior that is encoded genetically and performed without prior experience or learning.

Ethology

the scientific study of animal behavior under natural conditions. (The environment alters the stimuli and hence the behaviours observed. Therefore to fully behaviours, conditions must be as natural as possible. ). Researches Migratory, Altruistic, foraging, mate selection and breeding behaviours 

Behaviouralism

reflexes

Innate behaviour. A rapid involuntary response to stimuli that happens without concious thought.

Kinesis

(innate behaviour) A change in movement (eg turning or speed) due to a stimulus

taxis

(innate behaviour) A directional movement towards or away from a stimulus. A posistive taxis means towards a stimulus and negative taxis is away from a stimulus. 

Nature/Nurture

Operant conditioning

a learning process, where an organism's voluntary behaviors are modified by their consequences. Behaviors are strengthened through reinforcement (adding a desirable stimulus or removing an undesirable one) and weakened through punishment (adding an undesirable stimulus or removing a desirable one). Developed by B.F. Skinner.

Pavlov's dog

An experiment showcasing classical conditioning. A psychological concept where a neutral stimulus (like a bell) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (food), leading the dog to produce a conditioned response (salivating) to the neutral stimulus alone.

Classical conditioning 

is unconscious or automatic learning that involves creating an association between an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus to form a conditioned response.

associating an involuntary response and a stimulus.

Stereotypical behaviour

a repetitive, invariant pattern of behaviour with no obvious goal or adaptive function, unlike normal instinctive behaviours. Such behaviors often occur in captive animals, individuals with certain neuropsychiatric conditions (like Autism Spectrum Disorder), or after the use of stimulant drugs, and are frequently associated with stressors or poor environmental conditions

conditioned stimulus

a previously neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits a natural response, begins to trigger that same response on its own.

conditioned reflex

… is the entire learned sequence, encompassing the conditioned stimulus and the resulting conditioned response, which is the learned reaction to the conditioned stimulus.

Conditioned stimulus vs conditioned reflex

the conditioned stimulus is the "trigger" for the learned reflex, while the conditioned reflex is the complete learned "event".

Re-inforcer

a stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of a specific behavior or response occurring again. 

positive reinforcement

a reward by giving something wanted for “correct” behaviour

negative reinforcement

a reward by taking something away that is unwanted for “correct” behaviour.

Positive punishment

To punish by giving something that is unwanted for “ incorrect” behaviour

negative punishment 

To punish by taking something wanted away for “incorrect” behaviour.

habituation

a simple form of non-associative learning where an organism learns to decrease its behavioral response to a repeated, irrelevant stimulus that is neither harmful nor rewarding.

P.F. Skinner

creator of a learning theory states that a person is exposed to a stimulus, which evokes a response, and then the response is reinforced. Also known as operant conditioning.

Associative learning

learning through observation, or latent learning. Examples would be Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. 

learned behaviour

any action or skill acquired by an organism through experience, observation, or interaction with its environment, rather than being genetically inherited or innate.

unconditioned stimulus

something that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any prior learning or conditioning

Insight learning 

a sudden realisation of a solution to a problem through a restructuring of one's prior knowledge, rather than gradual trial-and-error or external stimuli. (Eg: Kohler's experiments with chimpanzees, where animals, after failed attempts, suddenly figured out how to stack boxes or join sticks to reach a desired object. )

Causal question

research question designed to determine if one variable or factor causes a specific effect or outcome in another variable

Hypothesis

proposes explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation

standard deviation

the variation within a set of data- how far the different results are away from the average of all the data

Steps:

1) find the average

2) find each difference from average

3) square the seperate differences

4) find the average of the squares

5) square root

(one data set)

Altruistic behaviour example

vampire bats which share blood with hungry roost-mates . This behavior is considered a form of reciprocal altruism because bats are more likely to share with individuals who have previously shared with them

sensitisation

an increasedd reponse to a repeated stimulus. this occurs when the stimulus is relevent, harmful or beneficial

imprinting

a rapid learning process in young animals where they form a strong attachment to the first moving object they see, typically their mother, during a critical developmental window. This process is a form of innate behavior essential for survival, as it establishes recognition of parents, conspecifics, and potential threats.xamples e

examples of imprinting

• ducklings will follow the first moving object they see, like their mother. 

• songbirds, have an innate ability to sing, imprint specifc songs which allows them to communicate with other birds of their species and have a better chance at mating

altruistic behaviour

Behviour which benifits another indiviual at the cost of the performer. studied in ethology

non-associative behaviour

changes in a response to a single stimulus without the need for it to be paired with another stimulus or consequence