Mechanisms and development

• FAP


  fixed action patterns
• fixed action patterns are pre-loaded behaviours
• FAP can include how they respond to a simple stimulus
• FAP is unlearned and unchangeable
• FAPs are preformed to completion
• sign stimulus


  the stimulus to a FAP and are a simple sensory input
• supernormal stimulus 


  openeded preferences, leads for opportunity for exploitation
• learning is an modification of behavior based on experience
• learning is not the same as maturation
• maturation


  body develops capability to preform behavior
• both learning and maturation can lead to an improvement of performance
• associative learning


  learns to respond to a stimulus that normally doesnt produce response
• associative learning is a type of behavioral psychology
• Pavlovs dog


  getting a dog to respond to an unusual stimulus by association with food
• operant conditioning 


  learn to associate behavior with punishment/rewards
• skinner box


  shocking/awarding pigeons according to problem solving skills
• habitation


  learning to ignore stimuli if there is not an appropriate response
• the mirror test is an example of habitation
• animals can receive so much stimuli that it can be hard to known what to respond to
• imprinting 


  only happens at a certain stage in the animals life cycle
• learning capacity and timing can be shaped by natural selection
• insight learning 


  problem solving and working out a solution
• insight learning seen in primates and corvids
• insight learning is an indication of a complex species