Instinct

1. Instinct • inborn, unlearned behavior • Triggered by releasers – Ex. male Robins • Inherited circuitry • Fixed action pattern – not simple reflexes, not decisions Ex. Egg rolling by a goose.

2. Learning • Brought on by an experience • Imprinting, Classical conditioning, Operant conditioning, Insight

3. Imprinting • Form of learning that occurs during a brief time • Gosling recognize mother’s call and follow

4. Classical Conditioning • Pavlov’s dogs • Associative learning – dog’s associate bell with food and salivate.

5. Operant Conditioning • B.F. Skinner • Animal’s behavior determines reward or punishment • Habituation – response to stimuli with no consequence will result in no response. Ex. Marine worm

6. Insight • The ability to figure out behavior that generates a desired outcome • Involves problem solving and reasoning • Humans and chimpanzees

7. Internal Clocks • Circadian rhythm • Plants and animals both have rhythm • Daily rhythms

8. Communication • Chemical, visual, electrical, tactile • Pheromones – chemical signals • Fireflies pulsed flashes – visual • Fish send and receive weak electrical pulses • Tactile - using mechanoreceptors in the skin to detect prey

9. Social Behavior • Agonistic – aggressive behavior “showing” • Dominance hierarchies • Territoriality • Altruistic