ethological

• ethological explanations for aggression

  innate behaviour of animals, the study of animals in their natural environment within the context of evolution

  aggression is adaptive
• aggression as adaptive

  protecting resources like mates and food

  establishing dominance like status and hierarchy in a group
• ritualistic aggression

  set of aggressive behaviours carried out in a set order

  lorenz observed fights between animals of the same species resulted in little physical damage

  mainly ritualistic signalling like bearing teeth

  ritual appeasement displays
• innate releasing mechanism

  built in physiological processes and structures like a network of neurons in the brain
• fixed action pattern

  behaviour sequence when IRM is triggered by environment
• features of FAPs

  stereotyped/unchanging behaviour sequences

  universal

  unaffected by learning

  ballistic

  single-purpose

  triggered in response to identifiable specific stimulus
• research into FAPs - Tinbergen

  male sticklebacks become highly territorial during spring mating season, when they develop a red spot on their belly. if another male enters their territory the sign stimulus triggers the IRM and causes aggressive behaviour (FAP)

  Tinbergen presented sticklebacks with wooden models with red spot. different sizes. attacked regardless of shape

  aggressive FAPs we’re unchanging from one encounter to another and they always fully completed once activated
• ethological - evaluation. universal

  suggests aggressive behaviours carried is universal to the species, but this isn’t the case with humans

  within the same situation some will react aggressively and some will be stoic lol, questioning the presence of IRM and FAPs

  human free will is overriding
• ethological - evaluation. extrapolation issues

  humans are vastly different to stickleback fish, even more so than normal as they aren’t mammals. we cannot extrapolate findings

  just male sticklebacks