Ethology

• What is ethology?

  The study of animal behavior
• What is the focus of ethology?

  Animal behavior in natural conditions
• What are the key concepts in ethology?

  • Innate vs. Learned Behavior
  • Classical Studies in Ethology
  • Types of Learning
  • Social Behavior & Communication
  • Behavior and Evolution
• What is innate behavior?

  Hardwired, inherited behaviors
• What are Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs)?

  Behaviors triggered by a stimulus
• What is learned behavior?

  Acquired through experience and interaction
• Who are the three key scientists in ethology?

  • Konrad Lorenz
  • Nikolaas Tinbergen
  • Karl von Frisch
• What did Konrad Lorenz study?

  Imprinting in animals
• What is imprinting?

  Following the first moving object seen
• What did Nikolaas Tinbergen study?

  Fixed Action Patterns
• What are Tinbergen’s Four Questions about behavior?

  Causation, Development, Function, Evolution
• What did Karl von Frisch discover?

  The waggle dance in bees
• What are the types of learning in ethology?

  • Habituation
  • Classical Conditioning
  • Operant Conditioning
  • Imprinting
  • Observational Learning
  • Insight Learning
• What is habituation?

  Stopping response to a repeated stimulus
• What is classical conditioning?

  Associating two stimuli together
• What is imprinting in ethology?

  Learning at a specific age, irreversible
• What is insight learning?

  Problem-solving without trial-and-error
• What are the aspects of social behavior and communication in ethology?

  • Altruism
  • Kin Selection
  • Communication (visual, auditory, chemical, tactile)
• What is altruism in animal behavior?

  Self-sacrifice for relatives' benefit
• What is kin selection?

  Favoring survival of relatives to pass on genes
• What are visual signals in animal communication?

  Displays like peacock feathers
• What are auditory signals in animal communication?

  Bird songs and whale calls
• What are chemical signals in animal communication?

  Pheromones in ants
• What are tactile signals in animal communication?

  Grooming in primates
• How does behavior relate to evolution?

  • Behavioral adaptations aid survival
  • Sexual selection influences male/female behavior