ethological explanation of aggression

• What does the ethological explanation seek to understand?

  Innate behaviour of animals in nature
• What is ethology?

  • Study of animal behaviour
  • Focuses on natural environments
• What is an innate releasing mechanism (IRM)?

  Biological mechanism activated by stimuli
• What are fixed action patterns (FAP)?

  Aggressive responses triggered by IRM
• How does aggression serve as an adaptive behaviour?

  It increases survival and establishes dominance
• What is the purpose of ritualistic aggression?

  To display dominance without causing harm
• What triggers a fixed action pattern?

  Activation by an innate releasing mechanism
• What happens when a stickleback fish sees a model with a red belly?

  It triggers an aggressive attack response
• What supporting evidence did Tinbergen provide?

  • Male sticklebacks react to red bellies
  • Aggression triggered regardless of model shape
• What does Brunner et al.'s research suggest about aggression?

  It supports a genetic basis for aggression
• What cultural differences challenge the ethological explanation?

  Amish are non-aggressive, Yanomami are aggressive
• Why is it difficult to generalize animal research to humans?

  Humans have more complex behaviours
• What did Nisbett's research reveal about aggression in the South US?

  Homicide rates are 4x higher than the North
• What are the limitations of the ethological explanation of aggression?

  • Cannot explain cultural differences
  • Hard to generalize from animals to humans