Ethological explanation

    Cards (8)

    • ethological approach
      • studies natural animal behaviour
    • adaptive functions of aggression
      • aggression is an adaptive response which is beneficial for survival
      • establishes social hierarchies within a group of animals
      • most dominant male exerts power over others- gaining status e.g. has mating rights over females
    • ritualistic aggression
      • ritual- carrying out certain behaviours in a specific order
      • certain ritualistic displays of aggression can be seen before a fight
      • used to scare off opponents- growling, bearing teeth/claws
      • defeated animal- cowering and whimpering
      • work to display winner of the fight- rarely kill each other
    • innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns
      • IRMs- built in psychological processes/ structures
      • once triggered, they activate a certain sequence of behaviours which an animal is compelled to carry out- fixed action patterns
      • fixed action patterns: BRUSH
      • B- ballistic- inevitable course which must be completed
      • R- response to s specific stimuli which is seen as a threat
      • U- universal to species
      • S- stereotypical- unchanging set of behaviours
      • H- hasn't been learnt
    • supporting evidence
      • roles of innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns
      • when male sticklebacks where presented with a series of models, they would attack the same wat
      • shape doesn't affect this only colour
      • supports the idea that members of the same species have the same innate releasing mechanism that is triggered by a threatening stimulus
    • limitation
      • criticised for the idea that behaviour patterns between specieces are fixed
      • hunt
      • argued that Lorenz underestimated the role of the environment in developing these behaviour patterns
      • learning interacts with innate factors
    • contradictory evidence
      • Goodall
      • observed chimps at a national park in Tanzania
      • aggression of 2 rival communities of male chimps wasn't impulsive but coordinated
      • one group of males slaughtered the other community in a gang fashion
      • ignored victims signals of defeat
      • questions whether animal aggression is ritualistic
    • limitation
      • findings cant be generalised to explain human aggression
      • humans are more complex than animals and show a wide range of aggressive behaviours- impulsive and non-impulsive
      • cant be generalised to humans, so doesn't explain aggression