What are 4 approaches to the study of behaviour and are the quantitive or qualitative?
1) natural history: Qualitative: cannot test a hypothesis, doesn’t allow for testable predictions
2) ethology (quantitative = can test specific predictions)
3) comparative psychology (quantitive)
4) behavioural ecology (quantitive)
What does the comparative psychology approach focus on?
Generally focuses on the underlying causes of behaviour by asking “how” questions and looking at regulating mechanisms of behaviour patterns
What are regulating mechanisms of behaviour patterns?
mechanisms that regulate when and how behaviours occur
What are 3 examples of regulating mechanisms of behaviour patterns explored by the comparative psychology approach?
1) role of learning in the development of behaviour
2) neurological or biochemical mechanisms that regulate behaviour
3) role of hormonal regulation
What are behaviour patterns a result of (comparative psychology approach)?
Behaviour patterns are the result of experience and internal influences
What is an example of the comparative psychology approach?
Jack Hailman was interested in the development of foraging behaviour in foraging chicks (interested in learning what the regulating mechanisms were). Took aluminum foil and put seeds and recorded the holes in the foil right when they hatched and 24 hours after hatching. Results: the chicks developed better eyesight, learned how to forage better, and muscle memory
What is the skinner (superstition) example of the Comparative psychology approach?
Can an association between burning a hand be associated with something else? For example, could the fridge humming be associated with burning the hand, since both can be found in the kitchen?
What is the Pavlov (ontogeny of behaviour) example of the Comparative psychology approach?
characterized differential experience and classical conditioning
What does the ethological approach focus on?
Focuses on the evolution of behaviour; why they do things. This is by looking at:
1) evolutionary history of specific behaviours
2) Description of behaviours and emphasis on understanding what environmental stimuli triggers and regulates behaviour; how does the strength of the stimulus affect the strength of the response
3) what is the function of specific behaviours
Based on the ethological approach, what are behavioural patterns the result of?
behavioural patterns are the result of genetic regulation of behaviour and environmental stimuli
What is the traditional ethological view of behavioural ontogeny (development over a lifetime)?
In other words, what is the traditional ethological view on how behaviour develops over a lifetime?
Sign stimulus triggers an innate releasing mechanism resulting in a fixed action pattern that elicits a spontaneous, stereotypic behaviour
what is a sign stimulus?
external stimulus that elicits a specific response
What is an innate releasing mechanism?
neural process which mediates specific response when stimulated. Either triggers behaviour or readies individual for additional stimuli
What is a fixed action patter (FAP)?
innate behaviour pattern in response to sign stimuli that elicits a spontaneous, stereotypic behaviour
What is an example of a fixed action pattern?
Egg rolling behaviour: If the eggs is off the nest, the female will be triggered to bring it back in bc the egg will likely die outside the nest. Depending on the strength of the egg stimuli (how big the egg is), we will get different strengths in the egg rolling response where a larger egg = larger stimulus/response and small egg = small stimulus/response
What is a superstimulus?
an exaggerated version of a natural stimulus, example includes the egg rolling stimulus that increases with increasing size
What is another example of superstimulus in threespine sticklebacks?
When presented with red-down and green-up, reproductively active males were extremely aggressive. When presented it red-up, green-down, reproductively active males showed little response. Smaller males had smaller response and larger males showed bigger response due to apparent trade-offs
What is the distracted male hypothesis (guppies)?
Their behaviour changes overtime bc losing opportunities far exceeds having to run away from a predator.
What is another example of superstimulus in nest cleaning behaviours of gulls?
when chicks hatch, an open white eggshell creates a strong visual cue such that the mother removes them from the nest. The sign stimulus is the proximity of the eggshells to the nest. When the eggshell is over 20m away, she will not bother to pick it up and move it
The superstimulus approach works for some types of behaviours, but it doesn’t explain 2 things?
1) doesn’t explain why behaviour changes overtime
2) doesn’t explain variability in behaviour; varied behaviour is informative compared to fixed behaviour
What is the most plastic phenotypic trait?
behaviour
What are some problems with traditional approaches?
Behaviour is plastic meaning that it is adaptable, flexible, and can change depending on the conditions of the environment
What is the redwing blackbird example that demonstrates that behaviour is plastic?
Females of redwing blackbirds are raised in same habitat, same resources, same predation pressure, and same mating, but they can show vastly different mating systems (polygyny vs monogamy) -> driven by the quality of the mating territory
What is the example of Salmon that demonstrates that groups with the same genotype may exhibit different patterns under different conditions?
Atlantic salmon smolting (quickly adapt to salt water): individuals with same genotype will have varied behaviours such as never going out to sea, some smolting early, some smolting late, etc. depending on their conditions
