Instinctual Behaviors and Conditioned Responses

Study Notes

Innate behaviors that are present in an animal from birth, without the need for learning or experience
Examples:
- Migration patterns in birds
- Web-spinning in spiders
- Hibernation in bears
Characteristics:
- Fixed and unchangeable
- Present in all members of a species
- Not influenced by environment or experience

Learned behaviors that occur in response to a specific stimulus
Types:
- Classical conditioning (associative learning)
  - Ivan Pavlov's dogs: salivating at the sound of a bell
  - Association between neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus
- Operant conditioning (instrumental learning)
  - B.F. Skinner's box: behavior is modified by consequences
  - Association between behavior and consequence
Key concepts:
- Unconditioned stimulus (US): naturally eliciting a response
- Unconditioned response (UR): natural response to US
- Conditioned stimulus (CS): neutral stimulus that becomes associated with US
- Conditioned response (CR): response to CS

Ability of animals to modify their behavior in response to experience or environment
Types of learning:
- Habituation: decrease in response to a repeated stimulus
- Sensitization: increase in response to a repeated stimulus
- Latent learning: learning without immediate reinforcement
Adaptation:
- Short-term: changes in behavior in response to immediate environment
- Long-term: evolutionary changes in response to selective pressures
Importance of learning and adaptation:
- Survival and fitness in changing environments
- Ability to adapt to new situations and predators
- Complexity of behavior and cognitive abilities

Innate behaviors present from birth, without need for learning or experience
Examples: migration patterns in birds, web-spinning in spiders, hibernation in bears
Characteristics: fixed and unchangeable, present in all members of a species, not influenced by environment or experience

Learned behaviors that occur in response to a specific stimulus
Classical conditioning (associative learning): Ivan Pavlov's dogs - salivating at the sound of a bell
Operant conditioning (instrumental learning): B.F.Skinner's box - behavior is modified by consequences
Key concepts:
- Unconditioned stimulus (US): naturally eliciting a response
- Unconditioned response (UR): natural response to US
- Conditioned stimulus (CS): neutral stimulus that becomes associated with US
- Conditioned response (CR): response to CS

Ability of animals to modify their behavior in response to experience or environment
Types of learning:
- Habituation: decrease in response to a repeated stimulus
- Sensitization: increase in response to a repeated stimulus
- Latent learning: learning without immediate reinforcement
Adaptation:
- Short-term: changes in behavior in response to immediate environment
- Long-term: evolutionary changes in response to selective pressures
Importance of learning and adaptation:
- Survival and fitness in changing environments
- Ability to adapt to new situations and predators
- Complexity of behavior and cognitive abilities

Inherited traits are characteristics passed down from parents to offspring through genes, including physical and non-physical characteristics.
They are determined by the interaction of multiple genes and environmental factors.

Dominant genes always express themselves when paired with a recessive gene and are represented by a capital letter.
Recessive genes only express themselves if paired with another recessive gene and are represented by a lowercase letter.

Genotype refers to an individual's genetic makeup (e.g., BB, Bb, bb).
Phenotype refers to the physical characteristic expressed (e.g., brown eyes, blue eyes).

A Punnett Square is a diagram used to predict the probability of different genotypes and phenotypes in offspring.
It helps to visualize the possible genotypes and phenotypes resulting from a cross between two parents.