Causation and Development of Behaviour

Neuroendocrine Response

Definition: Behaviour initiated through nervous system (fast) + endocrine system (slower hormonal sustain).
Example: Fight/flight response (ANS + adrenaline).

Experiential Learning

Definition: Behaviour modified by past experience to enhance survival.
Example: Kittens kneading for milk → becomes adult self-soothing.

Biological Rhythms (internal factor)

Definition: Internally regulated periodic patterns affecting behaviour.
Example: Monarch butterfly migration guided by circadian rhythm.

Homeostatic Motivation (internal behaviour)

Definition: Behaviour to maintain internal physiological balance.
Example: Red kangaroo cooling via saliva + digging shallow pits.

Non-Homeostatic Motivation (Reproductive Drive→internal behaviour)

Definition: Behaviour prioritising reproduction over self-maintenance.
Example: Stag rutting despite osteoporosis cost due to high testosterone.

Abiotic External Factors

Definition: Physical environmental variables influencing behaviour.
Example: Indigo bunting migratory timing shifts with climate temperature.

Biotic External Factors

Definition: Effects of living organisms on behaviour.
Example: Desert locust swarming when population density increases.

Context-Dependent Behaviour

Definition: Same stimulus produces different responses depending on context.
Example: Woodcock chicks hide from predator silhouette but feed from mother silhouette.

Behavioural Errors

Definition: Misidentification/misinterpretation of stimuli.
Example: Swans landing on motorways due to wet tarmac resembling water.

Innate Behaviour (Fixed Action Pattern)

Definition: Stereotyped, species-specific behaviour triggered by releaser; runs to completion.
Example: Seagull chick pecking red spot on parent bill to get food.

Supernormal Stimulus

Definition: Exaggerated artificial stimulus elicits stronger response than natural one.
Example: Robins attacking oversized red chest objects more than real rivals.

Maturation

Definition: Emergence/refinement of behaviour as organism ages.
Example: Satin bowerbird juveniles learning bowers from adult males.

Chance Effects

Definition: Behaviour shaped by random environmental or developmental conditions.
Example: Temperature-dependent sex in reptiles → behavioural differences in siblings.

14. Conditioning (Associative Learning)

Definition: Linking stimuli or linking stimulus to behavioural response.
Example: Pavlov’s dog salivating to bell after pairing with food

Habituation

Definition: Decreased response to repeated non-meaningful stimuli.
Example: Horses ignoring non-threatening pasture stimuli.

Discriminative Learning

Definition: Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant stimuli.
Example: Horses discriminating toxic from non-toxic plants.

Self-Learning

Definition: Behaviour developed/modified through one’s own trial/error.
Example: Thorndike’s puzzle box shaping escape behaviour.

Social Learning

Definition: Behaviour acquired by observing conspecifics; enables cultural transmission.
Example: Juvenile animals copying adult foraging strategies.

Cultural Evolution

Definition: Spread of learnt behaviours across populations faster than genes.
Example: Bird song dialects spreading between local populations.

Insight Learning

Definition: Sudden problem-solving without trial-and-error practice.
Example: Primates using objects as tools to access food.

Factors that Cause Behaviour

1. Internal

2. External (biotic & abiotic)

3. Context dependent

4. errors