ethological explanation for aggresion

What is ethology and how is it used for

Ethology is study of animal behaviour and is used to understand human behaviour to better understand why humans act the way they do

What are the 3 ways in how ethology helps understand human aggression

• able to define aggression and make it easier to understand how it links to reproduction and threats

• Studying animals in natural habitat - better understanding than with humans who lived in a different world to where we evolved from

• Controlled environments are used to study animals where all variables are controlled (cant do with humans) - increases validity

What are the 2 patterns for understadning ethnological research

• fixed action pattern

• Innate releasing mechanisms

What did Lorenz write a book on and what did he say

Lorenz wrote a boook called ‘ On aggression’

He said animals aggression is used to promote survival - aggression is hardwired and part of genetics

Fight for land and resources

And if won - able to survive and reproduce

What is FAP and what is it triggered by?

FAP is fixed action pattern

It’s trigggered by change in environment and doesn’t require learning

It’s triggered by IRM - ( a neural network in genes and not learnt) which detects specific stimulus change in env and triggers FAP

What kind of behaviour can FAP be described as

FAP can be described as automatic behaviour that helps animal survive

What study shows support for IRM and FAP to Do with sticklebacks

Study demonstrated a FAP n Sticklebacks when he shows a s. Male to respond with aggression to any fish with a red underbellly

It will always repsond the same way and will respond like this even if they’ve never seen other sticklebacks repsond in same way

FAP triggered by IRM - monitors surroundings and looks out for presence of underbelly - triggers the FAP to occur.

Who outlines the diffferent aspects of FAP and what are they?

LEA

• Always triggered by a stimulus

• Stereotyped - always behaves in same way

• Universal - behaviour is same in all members of species

• Independent of individual experience - behaviour is innate and no learning required

• Ballistic- once FAP is triggered it can’t be stopped or changed

What did Lorenz thought about aggression in terms of dove and wolves?

Lorenz thought that different types of aggression shown in animal groups could explain aggression in humans

He described both doves and wolves and humans are similar to doves

Ddves fight often due to them not having natural weapons so no FAP to prevent aggression

Wolves have very powerful natural weapons - if fought they would kill each other - have FAP to prevent aggression

Lorenz suggest that humans dont have strong natural weapons - have not needed to evolve ways to be less aggressive

What is in support of FAPS with anthropologists

Anthropologists (study human societies) - found tribal humans do use ritualised aggression to prevent actual aggression

E.g in DANI tribe of NEW GUINES have highly ritualised patterns of ritualised aggression

What is a study that found several human FAPS and I’ve examples

Study found smiling and eyebrow flash as a sign of greeting

Suggested humans are far less influenced by innate behavioural mechanisms and learning has a far larger influence on humans than animals

What are other additional examples of using ritualised aggression

YANOMAMO people of South America use chest beating and club fighting contests to settle disputes

Prevented more extreme level of violence and subsequent harm

INNUITS use song duels to settle. Disagreements

Suggests that human have developed ritualised aggression to help prevent injury and death which supports ethnological explanation to aggression

What’s a weakness to ethnological approach (2)

Who found that LORNX overestimated role of fixed action pattern

What’d o ethnologist call FAP now

What shows that ecological theory of aggression isn’t rare

LEHRMAN identified weakness - Lorenz had overestimated role of FIXED ACTION PATTERN

He found behaviour is more complex and requires a lot of learning

So ethologists no longer used FIXED ACTION PATTERNS and instead use BEHAVIOUR pattern

Also beeen shown that not all members of same species will show same behaviou when presented with same stimuli

So IRM and FAP cant explain everything

Weakness

Killing in same species is more common than Lorenz thought

This shows the ecological explanation to not be as rare as assumed so the application of human behaviour is incorrect