ethological explanation

• What is an ethological explanation?

  Seeks to understand the innate behaviour of animals (including humans) by studying them in their natural environment
• What do ethologists believe?


  That by looking at animal behaviour this can help us to understand human behaviour
• Aggression is seen as having what by ethologists?

  Adaptive functions
• Aggression is believed to be what?

  Innate
• Why is aggression believed to be innate?

  Aggression is seen in all animal species
• If a behaviour is innate, evolutionary psychologists propose what?

  That the behaviour must be beneficial to the organism
• What are two ways aggression may aid in survival?

  Aggression can protect resources and establish dominance hierarchies
• What did Lorenz (1966) notice?


  Fights between animals of the same species often results in little physical damage
• Instead, aggression in animals is often....

  Ritualistic signalling
• What is ritualistic signalling?

  Signs of aggression without physically fighting
• What are examples of ritualistic signalling?

  •Displaying claws

  •Baring teeth

  •Facial expressions of threat

  •Arched back

  •Beating chest

  •Standing on hind legs

  •Locking antlers
• Lorenz argued ritualistic signalling is more what than direct aggression?

  Adaptive
• Why is ritualistic signalling more adaptive?

  Because symbolic aggression would help ensure the other animal was not harmed
• What would happen if the other animal was harmed or died?

  This could impair their ability to reproduce which reduces the numbers of the species overall
• What is the Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM)?

  A built-in process, for instance, a network of neurons
• What triggers the IRM?

  An environmental stimulus
• What is an example of an environmental stimulus that can trigger the IRM?

  The red spot on the underside of a male stickleback fish
• What does the IRM do?

  Releases a specific sequence of behaviours
• What is the behaviour sequence called?

  Fixed Action Pattern (FAP)
• What is the fixed action pattern?

  An adaptive sequence of ritual behaviours that are universal within a species
• What is the fixed action pattern in male stickleback fish?


  The male stickleback will start attacking the other male
• The fixed action pattern is also what?

  Ballistic
• What does ballistic mean?


  It cannot be stopped once initiated
• Each FAP is what?

  Situation specific
• Who conducted supporting evidence for innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns?

  Tinbergen (1951)
• What did Tinbergen (1951) do?

  Presented male sticklebacks with a wooden model of different shapes
• What different models did Tinbergen (1951) present?


  Different shaped models with red spots on the bottom and a realistic fish model without a red spot
• What did Tinbergen (1951) find?

  If the wooden model had a red spot, then the male stickleback would attack regardless of shape. However, without the red spot the male stickleback would not react even if the model looked more realistic.
• How does Tinbergen (1951) support the ethological explanation of aggression?

  This shows that the red spot is acting on the innate releasing mechanism and is the determining factor for if the fixed action pattern of aggression is released or not
• Who conducted contradictory evidence for the ethological explanation of aggression?

  Goodall (2010)
• What did Goodall (2010) do?

  Studied chimpanzee behaviour for over fifty years
• What did Goodall (2010) find?

  As part of her research, she observed groups of chimpanzees that waged a brutal war against neighbouring groups of chimpanzees, slaughtering all members of the group.
• What did Goodall (2010) refer to this type of gang behaviour as?

  The systematic slaughtering of one group by another stronger group
• How does Goodall (2010) contradict the ethological explanation of aggression?

  Lorenz argued ritualistic signalling is more adaptive than direct aggression because symbolic aggression would help ensure the other animal was not harmed. In this case, animals were harmed which contradicts this idea.
• What is a counter-argument for Goodall (2010?


  However, this is a limited case of one group of chimpanzees and may not be representative of the species as a whole.
• Why is the ethological explanation of aggression a limited explanation?

  Not all fixed action patterns are fixed
• What evidence is there that not all fixed action patterns are fixed?

  There is some evidence that learning and environmental factors can create variation within a species
• Therefore, it may be more appropriate to discuss what instead of fixed action patterns?

  Modal action patterns
• What are modal action patterns?

  Behaviours that are instinctual such as the desire to chase in dogs (prey drive), but that differ within the species compared to others
• What is an example of modal action patterns?

  Some dogs may chase cats but some dogs do not