Animal Behavior HIstory and Principles.pptx

Animal Behavior History and Principles  What is Animal Behavior? Definition of Behavior: The coordinated responses of whole living organisms to internal and/or external stimuli. – What can an organism do? Why do they do it? How do they do it? Basis of our fascination with animals....

Animal Behavior History and Principles  What is Animal Behavior? Definition of Behavior: The coordinated responses of whole living organisms to internal and/or external stimuli. – What can an organism do? Why do they do it? How do they do it? Basis of our fascination with animals. – Think of an example of animal behavior – Intimacy and dependence on animals for survival Paleolithic human art depicting animal behavior in culture Hunting and herding animals for survival Science of Animal Behavior Ethology: Biological study of animal behavior – Focus on observing behavior in natural settings and explanations based on function and adaptive purpose of behavior. Comparative Psychology: Study of animal psychology/behavior – Focus on the discovery of divergent and common behavioral processes among species. Science of Animal Behavior Trends in research of animal behavior – Behavioral Ecology: John Krebs studied optimal foraging theory – Sociobiology: E.O. Wilson studied social behavior of eusocial insects – Cognitive Ethology: Donald Griffin studied complex animal thinking – Evolutionary Psychology: David Buss uses evolutionary biology to  History of Animal Behavior Aristotle (384-322 BCE): proposed the classification of animal kingdom in Scala Naturae; Suggested that behavior may be accounted for in teleological terms (goals and functions) or thru interaction of parts (mechanisms)  History of Animal Behavior Rene Descartes (1596-1650) proposed mind/body dualism in which behavior of animals was based on reflexive mechanisms (unconscious awareness) Charles Darwin (1809-1882) proposed that behaviors are products of natural selection and argued for the existence of a mental continuity (Expressions of Emotions in Man and Animals, 1872)  History of Animal Behavior George Romanes (1884-1894) rejected the mechanistic view of animal behavior. Argued that consciousness was widespread in the animal kingdom Phyletic affinities – traces the course of mental evolution with the use of classification of psychological traits Ejective inference – logic of inferring others have mental states based on behavior – Imagine an animal is conscious because one thinks it is by analogy – Anthropomorphic (casting animals in human form) – Research involved collecting anecdotes of animal behavior C. Lloyd Morgan (1852-1936) proposed a comprise between mechanist and vitalists: Morgan’s Cannon – Double induction – In no case may we interpret an action as the outcome of the  History of Animal Behavior European Tradition: Innate and adaptive function of behavior – Niko Tinbergen (1907-1988) a founding father of Ethology who investigated function of behavior and devised numerous tests of animal behavior in field studies Spatial memory in wasps – Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) a founding father of Ethology who developed theoretical models of evolution and motivation of animal behavior – Imprinting behavior American Tradition: Learned mechanisms of behavior – B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) a behaviorist that investigated operant conditioning and other forms of learning Schedules of reinforcement – Daniel Lehrman ( 1919-1972) an experimental psychologist that challenged concept of instinct (innate behavior) described by Lorenz, Tinbergen, and other Ethologists Behavioral endocrinology and reproduction in doves  Video http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_videos.jsp?org=NSF&cntn_id=118659&media_id=69154  Proximate vs Ultimate Causation Aims and Methods of Ethology (Tinbergen, 1963) – Mechanism: what stimuli elicit behavior? – Development: how does behavior change as the animal matures? – Survival value: how does behavior affect survival and reproduction – Evolutionary history: how does behavior vary according to phylogeny of the animal being studied? Levels of causal analysis Genes (next generation) Inheritance Reproductive success Ultimate causes PHYLOGENETIC HISTORY Selective pressures Behavior ADAPTIVE Sensory-motor SIGNIFICANCE Niko Tinbergen Morphology Physiology [1907-1988] Environment Proximate causes MECHANISM Hormones Cell metabolism Enzymes Morphogenesis Nutrients DEVELOPMENT Genes (regulatory, structural)  Three Foundations Natural Selection Natural Selection: changes in morphology and behavior over generations – Example (1) trade-off between attracting mates and risk of parasitism in Hawaiian crickets (Zuk, 2006) Male crickets reduce risk of predation by evolving flat wings and a adopting a satellite mating strategy Natural Selection: Example 2  Three Foundations: Individual Learning Individual learning: change in behavior with-in a generation and interaction with natural selection – Example (1) fitness-related benefit of learning in grasshopper feeding behavior (Dukas and Bernays, 2000) Experimental design: type of diet ( balanced vs deficient) and cue (paired vs random) Method: food types presented twice daily, time and proportion of visits to diet Result: paired-cue condition rapidly learned to recognize cues associated with superior diet, random controls learned at a significantly slower rate. Discussion: learning increased survivability and reproduction  Three Foundations: Individual Learning (Dukas and Bernays, 2000)  Three Foundations of Animal Behavior Cultural transmission: changes in behavior based on social factors with-in and and over generations – Example (1) social transmission of food- preferences in foraging rats (Galef, 1983) Experimental Design: Demonstrator/observer pairs Method: Demonstrator consumed cinnamon or cocoa flavored diets in isolation. After consuming diet demonstrator interacted with observer. Observers’ food preference tested (free feeding of either diet) Results: Preference for demonstrators’ diet choice significantly increased in naïve observer  Three Foundations: Cultural Transmission (Galef, 1983)  Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Approaches Basic scientific approach involve: – Conceptual approach or paradigms in animal behavior Behaviorism (Skinner) – Stimulus/Response effects Inclusive fitness (Hamilton) – (Direct component + Indirect component) – Theoretical approach Mathematical model of animal behavior – Examples: – Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) of behavioral ecology – Drive Reduction Theory (DRT) of motivation – Empirical approach Data driven research – Examples: – Observational study – Experimental study  Significance of Animal Behavior Research Animal behavior and human society – social scientists are turning to animal behavior as a framework in which to interpret human society and to understand possible causes of societal problems. Animal behavior and neuroscience – Behavioral observation is critical to developing a framework of neurobiological methods, theories, interpretations. Animal behavior and conservation – Knowledge of an organism’s behavior is a critical element in conservation and protection of the environment and species Animal behavior and animal welfare – Scientific understanding of behavior is used to improve the well-being of companion, agricultural, research, and zoo animals Animal behavior and science education – Courses in animal behavior and behavioral ecology serve as hooks to interest students in science. Increase science literacy in our society  What Type of Animal Behaviorist are You? Konrad Lorenz speculated that our underlying motivation to study animals is based on hunting and/or herding instincts. – Hunters prefer to observe natural history and interact with animals as if to out smart them Prime example is Dr. Niko Tinbergen (field researcher, bird watcher, Nobel Prize winner) – Herders prefer to form close bonds and pursue keeping and breeding animals Prime example is Dr. Heini Hediger (father of Zoo Biology, zoo Director)