Learning is behavior based on experience 3.3

Habituation A change in an animals behavior resulting from experience is called learning. Habituation – an animal learns not to respond to a repeated stimulus that is of little importance. The animals’ sensory organ detects the stimulus but the animal does not pay attention to it.

How is habituation beneficial??? Hypothesis: Habituation allows an animal’s nervous system to focus on stimuli that signal food, mates, or danger, and not waste time or energy on other, less important stimuli.

Imprinting Imprinting – learning that is limited to a specific time period. Usually irreversible Can also take place during a time in an animal’s development called a critical learning period.

Conditioning Learning that a stimulus or a response is linked to a reward or punishment is called conditioning. Classical conditioning is learning where a meaningless stimulus, such as a hand signal to a dog, is associated with reward or punishment.

Operant conditioning is were an animal learns to associate one of its own behavioral acts with positive or negative behavior. Will repeat if positive Predators will quickly learn to associate certain kinds of prey with painful experiences.

Insight Insight – ability to respond appropriately to a new situation; innovation This level is above operant conditioning. When an animal learns to do something they would never do in a normal situation. Insight contributes to learning but is not a form of learning.

Play Behavior Many mammals and some birds engage in “playful” behavior. One thought on the ultimate cause of these behaviors is that play is type of learning that allows animals to practice behaviors required for survival. Another thought is that it is for exercise.