Intro to Ethology, Measuring Behavior, and Learning

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering animal behavior history, ethological questions, measurement methods, sampling techniques, and types of learning.

Animal Behavior (Historical Definition)

The total movements made by an intact animal, as described by Nikolaas Tinbergen.

Animal Behavior (Current Definition)

The coordinated physiological and cognitive response of whole living organisms to internal and/or external stimuli, as defined by Dugatkin (2019).

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

An 1872 book by Charles Darwin that is very likely the first modern publication on comparative ethology.

Ethology

A field of study focused on evolutionary theory, how evolution shapes innate behavior, and "Why" questions regarding animal behavior.

Comparative Animal Psychology

A field of study focused on "How" questions, mechanisms of learning, and conditioning in animals.

1973 Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Awarded to Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, and Nikolaas Tinbergen for their discoveries concerning the organization and elicitation of individual and social behavior patterns.

Karl von Frisch

An ethologist known for discovering bee communication and "language," including the waggle dance.

Konrad Lorenz

An ethologist known for his extensive work on instinctive behaviors and imprinting.

Nikolaas Tinbergen

A pioneer in experimental ethology who formulated the Four Questions used to analyze animal behavior.

Causation (Tinbergen's Question)

An ethological question investigating what stimuli elicit a response and how recent experiences shape that response.

Development (Tinbergen's Question)

An ethological question investigating how behaviors change with age or over time during ontogeny.

Function (Tinbergen's Question)

An ethological question investigating how a behavior benefits an animal's ability to survive and why the animal performs it.

Evolution (Tinbergen's Question)

An ethological question investigating how a behavior compares to that of similar species during phylogeny.

Aversive Stimulus

A stimulus on the continuum of environment stimuli associated with pain, fear, or distress.

Neutral Stimulus

A stimulus that carries no inherent valence but can be shifted toward an aversive or rewarding state using classical conditioning.

Rewarding Stimulus

A stimulus on the continuum of environmental stimuli associated with pleasure or joy.

Ethogram

A comprehensive dictionary listing all behaviors in an animal's behavioral repertoire, along with their assigned names and definitions.

Duration

The length of time for which a single occurrence of a behavior lasts, measured in units of time or as a proportion of time.

Frequency

The number of occurrences of a behavior per unit of time, expressed in reciprocal units of time.

Latency

The time measured from a specific given event to the first occurrence of a behavior.

Ad Libitum Sampling

An observational sampling method with no constraints on who or what is recorded, ideal for initial observations to develop an ethogram.

Focal Sampling

An observational sampling method where a specific individual animal or group is observed during a predetermined period of time.

Scan Sampling

An observational sampling method involving rapid observation of a group where the behaviors of each individual are recorded.

Behavior Sampling

An observational sampling method in which every occurrence of a specific behavior is recorded along with the identity of the individual performing it.

Continuous Recording

A behavior recording method that aims to provide an exact, faithful record of the time budget by tracking exact duration, frequency, or latency.

Time Recording

A behavior recording method where behavior is sampled at specific sample intervals to condense information and approximate a time budget.

Instantaneous Time Recording

A time recording technique where the observer records the specific behavior being performed precisely at the moment of the sample point (beep).

Zero-One Time Recording

A time recording technique where the observer records whether a behavior occurred at all during the sample interval when the sample point arrives.

Avoidance Tests

Tests used to assess fear of factors associated with negative experiences, such as measuring the distance an animal maintains from an approaching person.

Novel Object Tests

Tests used to measure exploratory behavior by recording how close an animal will approach an unfamiliar object.

Cognitive Bias Tests

Tests designed to evaluate whether an animal maintains an optimistic, neutral, or pessimistic outlook.

Sociobiology

A discipline that applies the principles of evolutionary biology to the study of social behavior in animals by merging behavioral biology and social organization.

Learning

An enduring change in behavior that occurs in response to stimuli in the environment.

Habituation

A type of learning in which an animal stops responding to a specific stimulus after encountering it repeatedly without significant consequences.

Classical Conditioning

A type of associative learning where an animal learns to produce a response normally caused by an unconditioned stimulus when presented with a conditioned stimulus.

Operant Conditioning

A type of associative learning in which the frequency of an action is increased or modified because it is reinforced.

Latent Learning

Learning that occurs without obvious reinforcement and remains unexpressed until a later time in life.

Insight Learning

Rapid problem-solving that occurs without obvious trial-and-error by drawing upon information gained in prior similar situations.

Rule and Concept Learning

Learning to solve problems more rapidly because the animal understands the underlying principle due to experience with similar tasks.

Imitation

A primary type of social learning where an animal attempts to mimic the specific procedures used by others.

Emulation

A primary type of social learning where an animal attempts to mimic the specific outcomes achieved by others rather than the exact actions.

Traditions (Animal Behavior)

Learned behaviors that initially appear in only one of several social groups of a single species in their natural habitat and are passed down locally.

Episodic Memory

Memories capturing key features of specific past experiences, aiding in the recognition of specific individuals and predicting positive or negative outcomes.

Attention (Bandura's Process)

The first phase in Bandura's Social Learning Theory, wherein the observer must notice and focus on the model's behavior.

Retention (Bandura's Process)

The second phase in Bandura's Social Learning Theory, wherein the observer forms a mental representation or codes the behavior into memory for future use.

Reproduction (Bandura's Process)

The third phase in Bandura's Social Learning Theory, requiring the observer to possess the physical and mental capabilities to perform the behavior.

Motivation (Bandura's Process)

The fourth phase in Bandura's Social Learning Theory, wherein the observer has a reason to perform the behavior, often driven by vicarious reinforcement.