Summary
Contents
- Summary
- Glossary
- aggressive display
- behavior
- behavioral biology
- classical conditioning
- cognitive learning
- conditioned behavior
- courtship display
- distraction display
- ethology
- fixed action pattern
- foraging
- habituation
- imprinting
- innate behavior
- intersexual selection
- intrasexual selection
- kin selection
- kinesis
- learned behavior
- migration
- monogamy
- operant conditioning
- polyandry
- polygyny
- reflex action
- signal
- taxis
Behaviors are responses to stimuli. They can either be instinctual/innate behaviors, which are not influenced by the environment, or learned behaviors, which are influenced by environmental changes. Instinctual behaviors include mating systems and methods of communication. Learned behaviors include imprinting and habituation, conditioning, and, most powerfully, cognitive learning. Although the connection between behavior, genetics, and evolution is well established, the explanation of human behavior as entirely genetic is controversial.
Glossary
aggressive display
visual display by a species member to discourage other members of the same species or different species
behavior
change in an organism’s activities in response to a stimulus
behavioral biology
study of the biology and evolution of behavior
classical conditioning
association of a specific stimulus and response through conditioning
cognitive learning
knowledge and skills acquired by the manipulation of information in the mind
conditioned behavior
behavior that becomes associated with a specific stimulus through conditioning
courtship display
visual display used to attract a mate
distraction display
visual display used to distract predators away from a nesting site
ethology
biological study of animal behavior
fixed action pattern
series of instinctual behaviors that, once initiated, always goes to completion regardless of changes in the environment
foraging
behaviors species use to find food
habituation
ability of a species to ignore repeated stimuli that have no consequence
imprinting
identification of parents by newborns as the first organism they see after birth
innate behavior
instinctual behavior that is not altered by changes in the environment
intersexual selection
selection of a desirable mate of the opposite sex
intrasexual selection
competition between members of the same sex for a mate
kin selection
sacrificing one’s own life so that one’s genes will be passed on to future generations by relatives
kinesis
undirected movement of an organism in response to a stimulus
learned behavior
behavior that responds to changes in the environment
migration
long-range seasonal movement of animal species
monogamy
mating system whereby one male and one female remain coupled for at least one mating season
operant conditioning
learned behaviors in response to positive and/or negative reinforcement
polyandry
mating system where one female mates with many males
polygyny
mating system where one male mates with many females
reflex action
action in response to direct physical stimulation of a nerve
signal
method of communication between animals including those obtained by the senses of smell, hearing, sight, or touch
taxis
directed movement in response to a stimulus