8. Imprinting

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1973

Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen for their discoveries concerning "organization and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns".

Karl von Frisch is known mainly for his research on the "language" of bees.

When Konrad Lorenz in the twenties started his studies on the "instinctive" activities of the birds, he found that they consisted to a large extent of "fixed action patterns" that were elicited by a specific "key stimuli" only, and performed in a robot-like way.

One of Nikolaas Tinbergen's most important contributions is that he has found ways to test his own and other's hypothesis by means of comprehensive, careful and quite often ingenious experiments.

Imprinting – Konrad Lorenz + goslings

Imprinting – Lorenz investigated..

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZmW7uIPW4

• So how did he do it?• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UIU9XH-mUI How long was

the sensitive period for imprinting?• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGBqQyZid04&NR=1&feature=fvwp• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGBqQyZid04&feature=related

• Page 10 in booklet and 242 in book.• Describe examples in goslings and chicks.

How will they increase the chances of survival?

• How will each have appeared and been selected for?

Starter – In pairs, one explain to the other a definition of and example of habituation and

the other imprinting. Are they innate or learned ?

• AIMS – homework – revision!• Go through plant growth hormones quests.• Check question 3, page 241• Describe the examples of classical and

operant conditioning, and latent and insight learning.

• Primate Behaviour• Exam question.• Charades!

Answers to questions 3 and 4 – plant hormones.

• See CD Rom• Seeds contain a food store (cotyledon or endosperm containing

e.g. starch) and an embryo. Enzymes such as amylase are needed to hydrolyse the starch to maltose before growth at germination can occur.

• 3 c) calculations of averages (1.7, 2.0, 1.1, 1.2); Ref to anomalies – 2.4 distilled water or 1.3 GA; Evidence for GA – larger diameter or figure given; GA promotes germination; Evidence for ABA – smaller diameter or figure given; ABA inhibits germination; Evidence for GA + ABA – diameter in between ABA and GA

or figure given; ABA reduces effect of GA; ABA prevents germination at

wrong time of year; Ref to amylase; Ref to starch digested into

maltose/glucose;

Check homework – page 241 q 3

• 1. Stimulus 2. fixed pattern of neural responses 3. fixed pattern of behaviour .

• Male sees stimulus - egg-laden female; response – swims towards nest.

• Female sees stimulus - red body of male; response – follows male.• Male sees stimulus - female at nest; response – he pushes female in

from behind.• Male stimulus - prods base of female’s tail with trembling motion;

response – she releases eggs.• Male sees stimulus - egg release; response – he pushes female out.• Male sees stimulus - eggs; response – he enters nest and releases

sperm.

• Pink = _____________ Blue = _______________

Classic experiments on learning

These were done by the following scientists:

Pavlov - classical conditioning, Skinner - operant conditioning and

Köhler - insight learning in chimps.

9. Classical Conditioning - Pavlov’s dogs

• Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who studied digestion in dogs.

• He measured the degree of salivation in response to different stimuli by making a small hole in the dog’s cheek and placing a tube in it so that the saliva flowed out.

• He discovered that a dog could learn to salivate in response to stimuli other than food, e.g. a ringing bell

• This kind of learning by association is called classical conditioning

One of Pavlov’s dogs

Classical Conditioning – definition page 12

classical conditioning - http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/pavlov/

Pavlov - classical conditioning

An unconditioned _______ can be replaced by a conditioned stimulus to trigger a ___________

Classical Conditioning – Can you match the following pairs and put in a more logical order?

A. Neutral Stimulus 1. Bell alone, after conditioning

B. Unconditioned Stimulus

2. Salivation, on hearing bell alone

C. Conditioned Stimulus 3. Salivation, on smelling food

D. Unconditioned Response

4. Bell alone, before conditioning

E. Conditioned Response 5. Smell of food

Classical Conditioning – Can you match the following pairs and put in a more logical order?

Answer!

B. Unconditioned Stimulus

5. Smell of food

D. Unconditioned Response

3. Salivation, on smelling food

A. Neutral Stimulus 4. Bell alone, before conditioning

C. Conditioned Stimulus 1. Bell alone, after conditioning

E. Conditioned Response 2. Salivation, on hearing bell alone

Review of classical conditioning

• The production of saliva in response to the taste or smell of food is a reflex action, an innate response. The food stimulus is called the unconditioned stimulus

• The new stimulus e.g. the bell, is the conditioned stimulus

• The new reflex, the response to the new stimulus is called the conditioned reflex

• Conditioning can be used to train animals/children.e.g. dog training where a dog learns to associate a particular behaviour with a reward (usually food)

Pavlov’s Methods - Advantages

• Well controlled at time of experiment

• Quantitative measurement of response

• Easily replicated

Disadvantage

• Not easy to separate from learning that they are about to be fed

(i.e. operant conditioning)• Page 12 – write a flow chart/equation

describing classical conditioning. (3 mins)

• What is the survival advantage?

Classical conditioning

B. F. Skinner and Operant conditioning

Animals learn by t______ and e_______ to link a stimulus to a reward or p________.Behaviour increases in frequencyas more rewards are given.Add definition to one on Page 12.How do these animalslearn and how does it affect their survival?

10.

The Skinner box – can you explain to a partner how to use it to show operant conditioning?

Review of operant conditioning • Skinner invented the ‘Skinner box’• An animal is placed in the box and there is a bar

or key or button that it can press.• After a while the animal accidentally presses it

and a reward appears.• After a few times the animal begins purposefully

to press it.• The animal learns to associate a stimulus or

action that previously meant nothing to it with receiving a reward.

• Pressing can also be used to avoid something unpleasant happening to the animal.

• Both operant and classical conditioning can be described as associative learning.

• Advantages of box –many animals tested as results on tickertape + other stimuli easily controlled

• Disadvantages – no other behaviour observed and possibly stressful for animal

Conditioned stimulus(leads to)Conditioned response

Conditioned response (behaviour)

(results in)Conditioned stimulus (reward)

Fox and rabbit – predator and preyHow could (11) latent learning help?

Page 13 – latent relies on memory of informationwhich may be useful in the future for survival.

The final type of learning……….

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJvBXPxFwsI

• A problem solving pigeon!

12 Köhler and Insight LearningIn 1927 Wolfgang Köhler wrote a book called The Mentality of ApesHe described his experimental work on chimpanzee behaviour.This indicated that chimps can learn in a more complex way than just by association.

• One of Köhler’s subjects was a chimpanzee called Sultan

• Köhler placed bananas outside his cage, just out of reach

• When given a stick, Sultan quickly learned to use the stick to reach the banana

• The banana was moved further away and Sultan was given 2 sticks that individually were too short

• Sultan eventually realised that he could reach the banana by pushing one end of the stick into the other

• Other chimps showed similar problem-solving abilities

Insight Learning – what was the problem?

This is called insight learningSome scientists believe it shows complex,

problem-solving skills and an ability to ‘think things through’

Others are lessconvinced and feel it may be just ‘luck’ or‘chance’

What do you think?

Insight learning – Wolfgang Köhler’s experiments

Chimps Solve Problems

• Chimp solves peanut problem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrPb41hzYdw&feature=fvw

• Chimps and tools – anvil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRN-fHdGzUY&feature=related termite fishing below

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaEDeRJKN0s&feature=related

• Chimps compared with humans learning• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIAoJsS9Ix8&feature=related• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHuagL7x5Wc&feature=related

Primate behaviour – pages 14, and 244 - 245

A chimpanzee using a tool

Is this innate behaviour? Or learned behaviour? Or insight learning?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7IdghtkKmA&feature=related

Kansi – a very clever Bonobo chimp.

Chimpanzees using tools

Is this innate behaviour? Or learned behaviour? Or insight learning?

Social behaviour

Hierarchy? Answer questions 1 and 2, page 245 Sometimes social behaviour can be between members of other species: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsaEvyHNZGs&feature=related

• Gorillas – page 244 - 245• Hierarchy – advantages?• Different statuses and roles lead to social

control / group protection. E.g.?• One infant born at a time, so…?• Young learn through observation and play• Final large brain size slows maturation so

long dependency is needed and therefore social behaviours.

• Knowledge and protection of food sources shared.

• Detection of and protection from predators is better in a group.

Social Behaviours in Gorillas

1. How does grooming help?2. How does mother care for her young i)

during the first 5 months, ii) 12 months, and iii) up to 2 years?

3. How does the young gorilla learn from 2 – 3 years?

4. …….and from 3 – 6 years?5. How do they communicate?

What are the advantages of Social Behaviour in Primates?

• Only one born at a time, so group ……..

• Young learn through observation and …. with other…..

• Final large _____ size means………• Knowledge and protection of ……• Groups can detect and ______

predators more…..

Exam Question 6 Jan 2011

• See mark scheme…..

Checking Stretch and Challenge page 245

• This is typical of brand new information presented to you in an exam.

• Read passage in silence to remind yourself of information given.

• Class discussion of your homework answers.

• Now to Matching Pairs (you could play a memory pairs game in your own time) and Team Charards!

Team Charades

• Work in pairs within one of two teams.• Each pair pick a type of behaviour

from the bag.• You are given 5 mins to sort a mime

or role play to be played in turn to your own team. They must guess the type of behaviour and the example you portray.

• You can’t mention the term, or “sounds like e.t.c.

P 246. Discuss how the links between a range of human behaviours and the dopamine receptor DRD4 may contribute to the understanding of

human behaviour.

• Dopamine is a precursor for adrenalin and noradrenalin.

• Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain.

• Low levels Parkinson’s Disease• High levels Increased cerebral

activity, creativity mental health problems such as psychosis.

• (Define psychosis, page 247)

Range of response is due to 5 different receptors – explain!

• DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, DRD4, and DRD5 are each coded for by a different gene.

• The binding of dopamine to a receptor may stimulate motivation, learning or other transmitter releases.

• Some antipsychotic drugs work by blocking dopamine receptors.

• 50 + variants of DRD4 gene!• A short section of nucleotides shows a

different number of repeats in each variant.

• Some variants affect the level and action of dopamine in the brain.

• They may be linked to ADHD. See fig 2.• Other variants may be linked to

addictive behaviour – high levels of dopamine produce high levels of risk taking in these people.

8 Genetic markers have also been found for OCD caused by lack of

serotonin.• What did the longitudinal study of

twins find?

Epigenetics is involved!

True or False?• Dopamine is a precursor for adrenalin and

serotonin.• High levels produce Parkinson’s Disease• High levels produce psychosis.• Each of the 8 different DRD receptors are

coded for by a different gene.• Dopamine may stimulate motivation.• Variants of DRD4 genes show different

numbers of repeated sequences of bases.• Variants may lead to ADHD or addictive

behaviour.

Chimpanzee Problem Solving by Cooperation

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgOW9LnT4&feature=related

Primate behaviour

• Jane Goodall

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51z7WRDjOjM&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/user/JaneGoodallInstitute

• http://www.youtube.com/user/JaneGoodallInstitute#p/u/8/fBie5ftJ_N4

Skinner and Operant Conditioning

Animals learn by ______ and _______ to link a stimulus to a reward.

Operant conditioning - Skinner’s Box – Sniffyhttp://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/special_features/ext/sniffy/download.htm#http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm5FGrQEyBY&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJvBXPxFwsI

Skinner’s expts + operant conditioning

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl7jr9EVcjI&NR=1 – skinner box

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQtDTdDr8vs&feature=related – skinner box

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecpSXSWm1uo&NR=1&feature=fvwp - zoos