A01

• What is the ethological explanation?

  Seeks to understand the innate and adaptive value of behaviour in animals by studying them in their natural environments
• What is a sign stimulus?

  A specific visual stimulus which triggers the innate releasing mechanism
• What is an innate releasing mechanism (IRM)?

  A physiological process or neural network which is activated by an external stimulus (sign stimulus) which in turn triggers a fixed action pattern of behaviours associated with that stimulus
• What is a fixed action pattern (FAP)?

  A sequence of stereotyped, pre-programmed behaviours triggered by an innate releasing mechanism (IRM), which do not require learning
• State the six main features of a FAP according to Lea (1984)

  Universal, stereotyped, innate, ballistic, specific triggers and single purpose
• Describe the procedure of Tinbergen's (1951) study

  - During the mating season, male stickleback fish develop a red spot on their underbelly (sign stimulus)

  - Tinbergen presented sticklebacks with a series of wooden models of different shapes with and without a red underbelly
• Describe the findings of Tinbergen's (1951) study

  - Regardless of the shape, if the wooden model had a red underbelly, the male stickleback would aggressively display and attack it

  - However, if there was no red underbelly, there was no aggression even if the model looked realistically like a stickleback
• What is ritualistic aggression?

  Aggressiveness is a series of behaviours carried out in a set order in the form of threat displays (e.g. gorilla beating chest, wolf baring teeth, cat displaying claws)
• What is an appeasement display?

  Aggressive confrontations end with ritual appeasement displays which indicate acceptance of defeat and inhibit further aggression behaviour in the victor, preventing any damage to the loser
• Why is ritualistic aggression adaptive?

  It prevents an animal being damaged and potentially killed which facilitates the survival of the wider species