Animal Behavior and Learning

A researcher observes a male fruit fly extending and vibrating his wing. Which form of communication is the fly primarily using?

Honeybees use the 'waggle dance' to communicate the location of food sources. If a bee performs a waggle dance at a 30° angle to the right of vertical inside the hive, what does this indicate to the other bees?

Which characteristic is most crucial in distinguishing imprinting from other forms of learning?

Niko Tinbergen's experiment with digger wasps demonstrated their ability to use landmarks for navigation. This experiment primarily illustrates what type of learning?

A bird learns to avoid eating monarch butterflies after experiencing their bad taste. What kind of learning is this an example of?

A chimpanzee watches its mother use a stick to extract termites from a log. Later, the young chimpanzee successfully uses the same technique. This is an example of which type of learning?

Konrad Lorenz's work with geese demonstrated which concept of animal behavior?

A researcher places a rat in a maze. After several trials, the rat learns to quickly navigate the maze without errors. What type of learning is primarily involved in the rat's improved maze-solving ability?

A scientist is studying the mating rituals of a particular bird species. They observe that the male birds perform a specific dance and vocalization sequence to attract females. Which of Tinbergen's questions is the scientist addressing by studying the fitness consequences of this mating ritual?

A researcher is investigating a bird species that migrates annually. Which of the following methods would provide the strongest evidence that the birds use Earth's magnetic field for navigation?

A dog trainer uses hand signals to command a dog to sit. Over time, the dog sits when only the hand signal is given, even without a verbal command. This is an example of:

A species of frog exhibits a behavior where the male inflates a vocal sac and produces a specific call to attract a mate. Which of the following best describes the role of this behavior in terms of animal communication?

A newly discovered species of insect consistently performs the same complex sequence of leg movements when it encounters a predator, regardless of its past experiences. This behavior is most likely an example of:

Male fireflies flash species-specific patterns to attract females. Researchers find that females are most attracted to flashes of a certain rate and intensity. This observation relates most directly to which aspect of animal behavior?

A group of birds migrates south every winter. Which statement best explains this behavior from an evolutionary (ultimate cause) perspective?

Upon seeing a red traffic light, a driver immediately applies the brakes. Considering the components of animal behavior, which of the following is most analogous to the 'stimulus' in this scenario?

A mutation in a master regulatory gene in male fruit flies is MOST likely to affect which aspect of their behavior?

In green lacewings, the courtship song is governed by multiple independent genes. What is the MOST likely evolutionary implication of this genetic architecture?

According to Hamilton's rule, which scenario would MOST likely lead to altruistic behavior?

Which of the following scenarios BEST exemplifies reciprocal altruism?

In a population of meerkats, some individuals act as sentinels, watching for predators while the rest forage. This behavior, where the sentinel increases its own risk, could be explained by:

A researcher is studying a new species of bird that hides food in caches. After observing the birds for several weeks, they notice the birds consistently find their caches even after snowfall covers the area. Based on the information provided, which type of learning is most likely being used by these birds?

A scientist is training a rat to press a lever for a food reward. Initially, the rat presses the lever by chance and receives food. Over time, the rat begins to press the lever more frequently. Which type of learning does this scenario exemplify?

Which scenario best illustrates problem solving, as described in the text?

Suppose researchers observe that young prairie dogs learn to identify and avoid venomous snakes by watching adult prairie dogs react to the snakes. What type of learning is this?

Honeybees are trained to receive a reward if they choose a color that is the 'same' as a stimulus color. Later, they are presented with a new set of patterns and are rewarded for choosing the 'same' pattern as the stimulus. What cognitive process is most likely demonstrated by this experiment?

A dog is conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell. Over time, the bell is only occasionally paired with food. What is the most likely outcome?

Vervet monkeys produce distinct alarm calls for different predators, such as eagles, leopards, and snakes. How does this behavior contribute to their survival?

A group of researchers is studying chimpanzees in a new habitat. They observe that only the older chimpanzees know how to use stones to crack open a specific type of tough nut. The younger chimpanzees attempt to crack the nuts on their own without success but eventually learn by watching the older chimpanzees. What type of learning are the younger chimpanzees demonstrating?

Behavior

Niko Tinbergen's Questions

Fixed Action Patterns

Sign Stimulus

Migration

Animal Signals

Communication in Animals

Behavioral Ecology

Fruit fly courtship

Chemical communication

Tactile communication

Auditory communication

Honeybee Dance

Imprinting

Spatial learning

Cognitive maps

Associative Learning

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Cognition

Problem Solving

Social Learning

Survival and Reproductive Success

Master Regulatory Gene

Inclusive Fitness

Altruism

Hamilton's Rule

Reciprocal Altruism