ANFS 350: Motivation

Motivation

process within brain that controls when behaviors and changes occur and when

Motivation Significance

important for evaluating behavior as an indicator of welfare

Causal Factor

input to decision making center, requires interpretation after previous experience

Causal Factor Types

environmental stimuli, social situations, internal factors

Motivational State

combination of the levels of all causal factors

Decision Making Process

brain monitors causal factors and based on previous experience will make a decision

Causal Factor Levels

may vary over a wide range, may be related or compete

Appetitive Behavior

searching for suitable external stimuli

Consummatory Behavior

encountering stimuli and utilizing it

Motivation and Behavior

complicated relationship, animal may have a tendency but resulting behavior might not be directly connected

Motivation Is Not

reflex, learned behavior, developmental process

Motivation Is

mechanistic explanation for particular behavior pattern

Measuring Motivation Considerations

many factors cannot be directly measured, can measure associated factors, hunger v blood glucose

Measuring Motivation Process

experimentation and careful manipulation of motivational state

Measuring Motivation Specifics

amount, frequency, and duration of activity, observe any related patterns

Measuring Persistence

prevent performance of a behavior, increase aversive stimulus to gauge level of motivation

Elasticity of Behavior

how likely a behavior will occur in the face of increasing cost (aversive stimulus)

Elastic Behavior

a small increase in cost will cause large decreases in performance of the behavior

Inelastic Behavior

cost is essentially irrelevant and performance will continue regardless

Dustbathing in Chickens Motivation

highly motivated and inelastic behavior, clear regular pattern every 2 days, external cues such as heat, light, other chickens

Dustbathing in Chickens Purpose

remove excess oil, maintain healthy plumage, antiparasitic

Rebound Behavior

behavior occurs at an increased rate of frequency after a period of being unable to perform it

Model 1 of Motivation

internal causal factors build up until an external causal factor triggers the behavior to occur

Model 2 of Motivation

absence of external factors reduces motivation, presence of cues increases motivation

Stereotypic Behavior

repetitive or unchanging behavior pattern with no function of obvious goal

Stereotypic Behavior Origin

inability to perform a behavior, stereotypies resemble that behavior or what would need to be done to do that behavior

Stereotypic Behavior Examples

bar biting in sows and hamsters, mouse jumping or looping, horse cribbing

Stereotypic Behavior Function

way to cope with a stressful situation, preventing stereotypies may lead to worse welfare

Cribbing in Horses

sucking in air while biting on something, can harm teeth or cause colic, associated with inappropriate feeding or husbandry