Lecture 3

Animal Behavior
BIO100
Sumaiya Afrin Soha
Lecture Outline
• What is behavior
• Stimulus
• Importance of studying behavioral pattern
• Studying behavior
Mechanistic approach
Ethological approach
• Behavior types
• Innate behavior
Types of innate behavior
• Learned behavior
Types of learned behavior
Types of conditioning
What is Behavior ?
Response to a STIMULUS
 An expressed
course of action
produced in organisms
in
response to a stimulus
from a given situation
Stimulus
• An action or event that evokes a specific functional
reaction in an organ or tissue

• An action that rouses activity or energy in someone or

something; a spur or incentive

• Any change in the biotic and abiotic environments

capable of triggering a reaction or response in a living
organism
 Why is studying behavior
important???
Ancient history:
• To better understand behavioral pattern of
prey for hunting
• For selective breeding and domestication of
animals
Now:
• For conservation of species and prevent
extinction
• Better understanding of the animal world
• Indication of abnormality
• Balance of ecosystem
Studying Behavior
Mechanistic approach Ethological approach
× Experimental × Scientific study of
× Under controlled animal behavior
laboratory conditions × Carried out in the
× Studies particular field / habitat of the
aspect of behavior animal
× Mostly focus on
behavior under
natural conditions
Behavioral pattern inherited or
developed (learned) due to a
stimulus will effect the
reproduction and survival of an
animal

 Survival of the fittest

Behavior types
Natural Nurtured
× Inherited / innate × Learned / developed
× Genetically × Not genetically
determined determined
× Specific to community × Specific to individuals
/ species × Flexible
× Hard-wired
Innate behavior
• Instincts are inherent inclination of a living organism towards a
particular complex behavior

• Complex and inborn behavior patterns of immediate adaptive

survival value to the organism and are produced in response to
sudden changes in the environment
 Types of Innate Behavior
Agonistic Dominance Territorial Altruistic
× behavioral × Often established based × A territory is × acting out of concern
adjustments on the size, strength, or held and for the well-being of
associated with other physical protected by others, without regard
fighting characteristics of an animal to your own self-
× Threat organisms × Helps in interest
× Submission × Pecking order / social acquiring × Usually to protect
× Aggression hierarchy resources and offspring
× minimizes conflict and mates
ensures survival of the
fittest organisms
Learned behavior
• Learning can be defined as an adaptive change in individual
behavior as a result of experience

• The degree of permanence of newly acquired learned behavior

patterns depends on memory storing information gained from
the experience

• Learning alters the range of behaviors shown by an individual,

and allows it to adapt to and control its environment
 Types of Learned Behavior
Habituation Associative learning Exploratory learning
× Continuous repetition × Classical conditioning: × Many animals, such as
of a stimulus not association of events over mice, explore their
associated with reward which the organism has no surroundings and
or punishment control environment even
(reinforcement) puts off × Operant conditioning: this though that has no
any response to the involves trial-and-error, and immediate value
stimulus involves gaining control × But the behavior can
× e.g. birds learn to over one’s environment eventually be useful (like
ignore scare crow when escaping prey)
Insight learning
• Highest form of learning
• Involves thinking and reasoning
• Kohlar’s experiment on
chimpanzees suggested insight
learning:
When presented with wooden
boxes and bananas too high to
reach, the chimps stacked up the
boxes beneath the bananas and
climbed up to get them
Imprinting
• During early stages in the lives
of animals, they directly copy
many behaviors from their
parents
• This is how birds learn to fly,
sing etc.
• Can be thought of as a
combination of innate and
learned components
The End