Learned Behaviors

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Innate Versus Learned Behaviour

Innate Behaviour Develops regardless of environmental context Usually triggered by a very specific stimuli and generally is a fixed action pattern Includes instincts, taxis, kinesis, and reflexes Learned Behaviour Develops as a result of experience

Includes communication, culture, training of pets, etc.

Example of innate behaviour in birds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlW2J7uCVH0 Example of learned behaviour in birds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYZnsO2ZgWo

Why learn?
Innate behavior can only be modified over several generations Learned behavior allows living things to adjust their behavior in response to their environment, giving them an increased chance of survival. Often learning builds upon an innate component of behavior

Types of Learning
Habituation Imprinting Observation Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning

Habituation
Simplest type of learning Getting used to a repeated stimulus E.g. when you first move into a loud apartment the noise bothers you, but after a while you stop noticing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfu0FAAu10

Imprinting
Rapid and phase sensitive learning. E.g. baby chicks learn who their mother is in the first 13-16 hours after birth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihh1xBXw t_0

Observation
Learning by imitating the actions of another http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQwJXvlT WDw Probably the way in which most of our learning is acquired.

Classical Conditioning
An innate response is paired with a neutral stimulus. Eventually the neutral stimulus can be used to trigger the innate response.

Pavlovs experiments
Pavlov was interested in studying the digestive system and used dogs as his test subjects. He found that dogs would begin to salivate (release saliva) just by looking at food One day, he noticed that the dogs would also salivate whenever someone in a lab coat walked through their kennels. Why do you think this occurred?

Pavlovs experiments
He theorized that learning occurred when the animal associated one stimulus with another e.g. people in lab coats bring food, therefore if someone in a lab coat appears, food must be on its way. He tested this theory as follows:

Pavlovs Experiments

http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/dog-training1.htm

Key terms
Unconditioned stimulus a type of stimulus that elicits an innate response in the organism (e.g. the appearance of food triggers the production of saliva) Unconditioned response the automatic response triggered by the unconditioned stimulus (e.g. the production of saliva) Conditioned stimulus an originally neutral stimulus (no significant innate response) that is paired with the unconditioned stimulus (e.g. the ringing of a bell) Conditioned response the response of the animal to the conditioned stimulus after it has been repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus (e.g. the dog salivates at the sound of a bell even if no food is present)

Examples of Pavlovian Conditioning

Identify the unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus and conditioned response in the following clips. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1079423/th e_pavlov_altoid_theory/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGFe07R o7r0

Operant conditioning
Pairing a voluntary behavior with a reward or punishment. E.g. getting good grades for studying hard, getting detention for not doing your work.

Birdsong as an Innate and Learned Behaviour

Songbirds use singing to mark territory, find mates and communicate messages to their neighbours It is usually only the male songbird that sings. In some species the complexity of a males song makes him attractive to females (shows intelligence!). A good example of this is the lyrebird http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos 4Y

Birdsong
Birds inherit the ability to learn birdsong. Young chicks can make sounds. The song is learned from their father, and both males and females learn the song (even though only the males will sing it). When they reach sexual maturity, males begin to sing their own song that is similar, but not identical to, their fathers song.

Birdsong
Females mate with males that have a song that is similar sounding to their fathers. If the song of a bird is learned, what would happen if a male bird was raised in captivity without any other males of its species? If songs are learned, would you predict that regional differences in bird song occur?

Birdsong
Males raised in captivity in the absence of other males of their species tend to have poor reproductive success in the wild. Birds have regional dialects similar to humans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utQumgc4O YA

Homework
Complete the data analysis question entitled Birdsong innate or learned?