Questions and Answers
What is instinctive behavior?
What is learned behavior?
A behavior that has been learned from experience or observation
Many instinctive behaviors are highly stereotyped; these behaviors are called ______.
fixed action patterns
The cues that trigger instinctive behaviors are called ______.
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What is the significance of a critical period in learning?
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What is classical conditioning?
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What is operant conditioning?
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Define cognition in animals.
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What is habituation?
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What is piloting in migration?
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What is compass orientation in migration?
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What is navigation in migration?
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What are the benefits of migration for some species?
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Study Notes
Instinctive Behavior
- Innate, unlearned behavior patterns exhibited by all members of a species.
- Functional categories include feeding behaviors, defensive responses, mating behaviors, and parental care activities.
Learned Behavior
- Behavior acquired through experience or observation.
Stereotyped Behaviors
- Highly stereotyped instinctive behaviors; performed in a consistent manner when triggered by specific cues.
- Fixed action patterns are examples of stereotyped behaviors.
- Sign stimuli trigger these behaviors, such as a red spot on an adult gull's bill that prompts chicks to beg.
Critical Period and Imprinting
- A time-limited phase where animals learn essential identity of caretakers or mates.
- This learning process is known as imprinting and occurs during critical or sensitive periods of development.
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
- Dogs salivate instinctively to food (unconditioned stimulus).
- Pavlov's experiment paired a bell (conditioned stimulus) with food, leading dogs to salivate in response to the bell alone after repeated pairings.
Operant Conditioning
- Involves learning voluntary behaviors through reinforcement (pleasant consequences) or punishment (unpleasant consequences).
- Example: A rat learns to press a bar to receive food after random exploration leads to reinforcement.
Cognition
- Refers to an animal's ability to solve problems using insight rather than trial-and-error.
- Implies awareness of circumstances, goal definition, and reasoning to achieve goals.
Habituation
- Process by which animals become less responsive to frequent stimuli that lack reinforcement.
- Saves energy and time by ignoring unimportant stimuli.
Migration: Piloting
- A wayfinding mechanism where animals use familiar landmarks to navigate their journey.
Migration: Compass Orientation
- More complex than piloting; animals navigate using directional cues such as the Sun and an internal biological clock.
Migration: Navigation
- The most sophisticated wayfinding mechanism; combines compass orientation with a mental map for reaching specific destinations.
Benefits of Migration
- Seasonal changes in food supply drive migratory behavior in species, allowing access to resources and potentially enhancing survival.
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Description
Explore the differences between instinctive and learned behaviors with these flashcards. This quiz covers definitions and examples that highlight how these behavior patterns manifest in various species. Perfect for psychology students looking to deepen their understanding of behavioral psychology.