Early scientific studies of animal behavior took two approaches. Behaviorists focused on the study of conditioned behavior in a few species of laboratory animals and asked questions about learning. Ethologists studied genetically determined behavior in many species in their natural environments and asked evolutionary questions.
learning outcomes
You should be able to:
Differentiate between behaviorism and ethology.
Explain the significance of deprivation experiments.
Explain what proximate and ultimate causes of behavior are, using examples.
What distinguishes fixed action patterns from behaviors resulting from Pavlovian or operant conditioning?
Fixed action patterns are genetically determined, adaptive behaviors that are usually activated by specific stimuli normally encountered in nature. Pavlovian conditioned reflexes are physiological processes triggered by learned, non-
What variables might account for a genetically determined behavior not being expressed in a deprivation experiment?
A genetically determined behavior might not be expressed in a deprivation experiment if the animal is not in the appropriate developmental stage or physiological condition, and if the necessary stimuli for the behavior are absent.
What are proximate and ultimate causes of mating-
Proximate causes of mating-
The work of the ethologists left no doubt that behavior can be genetically determined, but how? Genes code for proteins, whereas behaviors are highly complex traits involving sensory input and intricate patterns of control over responses to that input. Is it reasonable to think that a single gene can have a specific effect on a behavior?