ANIMAL BEHAVIORChapter 31 many animal behaviors are influenced by both genetics and environmental experiences…

Basic Behaviors Chapter 31.1

Objectives:1. Relate animal behavior to evolution by natural selection.2. Distinguish between innate and learned behavior.

behavior: the way an animal responds to a stimulus (environmental change that directly influences the activity of an organism behavior is influence by both genetics and experience…

innate behavior: genetically based and not linked to past experiences (instinct) – the same behavior is commonly observed within a population even if the environments are different

fixed action patterns: when an animal carries out a set of actions in a sequence , in response to a stimulus (goose rolling an egg to its nest)

learned behavior: result from interactions between innate behaviors and past experience within a particular environment

habituation: a decrease in an animal’s response after being repeatedly exposed to stimulus that has no positive or negative effects - allows animals to ignore unimportant stimuli

classical conditioning: an association is made between two different kinds of stimuli (Pavlov’s dogs)

operant conditioning: an animal learn to associate its response to a stimuli with a reward or punishment

imprinting: learning that can only occur within a specific time period in an animal’s life and is permanent (usually right after birth)

cognitive behavior: thinking, reasoning and processing information to understand complex concepts and solve problems