Animal Behavior Quiz: Ethology and Behaviourism Study

3 Questions

What is ethology?

Ethology is a branch of zoology that studies animal behavior, usually with a scientific focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait.

Who are the pioneers of ethology?

The modern discipline of ethology is generally considered to have begun during the 1930s with the work of Dutch biologist Nikolaas Tinbergen and Austrian biologists Konrad Lorenz and Karl von Frisch.

What is the difference between ethology and behaviourism?

Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objective study of animal behavior, usually referring to measured responses to stimuli or to trained behavioral responses in a laboratory context, without a particular emphasis on evolutionary adaptivity.

Study Notes

What is Ethology?

Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, focusing on the evolutionary, ecological, and comparative aspects of behavior.
It examines the natural behavior of animals in their natural habitats, exploring the causes, development, function, and evolution of behavioral traits.

Pioneers of Ethology

Konrad Lorenz, an Austrian zoologist, is considered one of the founders of modern ethology.
Nikolaas Tinbergen, a Dutch biologist, was another key figure in the development of ethology, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973.
Karl von Frisch, an Austrian ethologist, was also a Nobel laureate who contributed significantly to the field.

Ethology vs. Behaviourism

Ethology focuses on the study of animal behavior in natural environments, emphasizing evolutionary and ecological aspects.
Behaviourism, on the other hand, concentrates on laboratory experiments to understand behavior, often using conditioned responses and reinforcers.
While ethology explores the "why" behind behavior, behaviourism focuses on the "how" of behavior modification.