ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

What is Behavior? Anything an animal does in response to a stimulus Stimulus: environmental change that directly influences an organism

Internal Environmental Stimulus A stimulus that occurs within the body of the organism and causes a response Examples – hunger, thirst, and illness

External Environmental Stimulus A stimulus that occurs in the outside environment that causes a response in an organism Examples – changing temperature, seeing a predator, and a rainstorm

Innate behavior: A behavior that is inherited rather than learned Happen automatically

1. Reflexes: Simple automatic response to a stimulus that involves no conscious control Example: jerking hand from hot stove Fight or flight response

2. Instincts Complex pattern of innate behavior that leads to a tendency for a specific response to stimuli that is common to a given biological species Examples: breathing, a spider spinning a web, and a bird building a nest

3. Behavior Patterns Migration: instinctive seasonal movement by animals (birds, whales) Hibernation: inactivity during cold weather

Learned behavior Behaviors that develop through experience or practice You are not born knowing learned behaviors

1. Imprinting An animal forms an attachment to an organism or place within a specific time after birth or hatching Helps protect them from danger and find food

2. Trial and Error Trying several techniques to find the one that works

3. Conditioning Behavior is modified so that a response to one stimulus becomes associated with a different stimulus

4. Cognitive Behavior Thinking, reasoning, and solving problems