Animal Behavior Animal Behavior Behavior the way an

Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior • Behavior – the way an organism reacts to change • Stimulus – change in the organisms environment (can be inside or outside the organism’s body) • Response – reaction to the change • Usually involves multiple body systems interacting and working together

Two Types of Behavior • Innate – behaviors an organism is born with • Ex: a spider weaving a web • Learned – behaviors acquired due to an organism’s experiences (not born with these behaviors)

Four Types of Learned Behavior • Habituation • Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning • Insight Learning • DO NOT WRITE THIS SLIDE IN YOUR NOTES!!!

Habituation • Habituation – response is slowed or stopped due to being exposed to the stimulus a number of times • Simplest form of learning • Ex: Ragworms will retreat to their burrows when a shadow passes over them. They will eventually stop retreating to their burrows when shadows continually pass over them.

Classical Conditioning • Classical Conditioning – mental connection is made between a stimulus and an event • Ex: Pavlov’s dog • Every time Pavlov fed his dog he would ring a bell. Eventually the dog would salivate every time it heard the bell (even if food was not present).

Operant Conditioning • Operant Conditioning – behavior is learned through rewards and punishments • Ex: Training a dog • Most dogs are trained by giving it a reward (treat, toy, affection) when it does the desired behavior (sit, stay, etc. ). Dog will not receive the reward if it does not do the behavior.

Insight Learning • Insight Learning – applies prior knowledge to a new situation • Most complex form of learning • Performed mostly by humans • Ex: Chimpanzee experiment • Bananas were placed out of reach for a chimp. The chimp stacked boxes on top of one another to climb up and reach the bananas.

Most behaviors are a combination of innate and learned • Imprinting • Newborn ducks have an innate behavior to follow the first object they see (usually their parent) • They do not know what the object will look like when they are born • They must learn which object(s) to follow and not to follow

Patterns of Behavior • Many animals respond to periodic changes in their environment (daily or seasonal cycles of behavior) • Ex: dormancy/hibernation, migration, circadian rhythm (daily pattern)

Patterns of Behavior • Behaviors help animals to reproduce • Ex: courtship – behavior that helps animals choose the healthiest mate

Patterns of Behavior • Social Behavior – how animals interact with their own species • Some behaviors protect territories • Ex: aggression, competition

Patterns of Behavior • Communication • Use of visual signs • Ex: movement, color • Pheromones – chemicals emitted that affects an animal’s behavior • Ex: animals “marking” their territory • Vocal communication • Ex: birds chirping, humans speaking • Language – combines sounds, signals, and gestures • Most complex form of communication • Known to be only used by humans