Behavior Section 36.1

What is behavior? An action or series of actions in response to a stimulus The stimulus may be external (being chased) or internal (being hungry) Ethology – the study of behavior Scientists who study behavior look at: How? – what triggers and controls the behavior Why? – what are the benefits of the behavior

Natural Selection Natural selection favors traits that will improve an organism’s chances of survival and reproduction Some behavior can be shown to be the result of natural selection Natural selection works on individuals – animals will behave in ways that benefit them, not the species as a whole

Genetically influenced behavior Also called innate or instinctive behavior The behavior happens the same way every time, without being taught – fixed action pattern behavior Example: nest-building

Learning and behavior Learning by experience can change behavior Habituation – an animal learns to ignore a frequent, harmless stimulus (ex: scarecrow) Conditioning – the association of one stimulus with an expected outcome Two types: 1. Classical conditioning – an unrelated response becomes associated with the stimulus Ex: Pavlov’s dogs: bell rings  food 2. Operant conditioning – trial-and-error learning that associates an action with a reward or punishment Ex: B.F. Skinner: push lever  get food Reasoning – analysis of a problem to find a new solution

Genetic and learned go together… Scientists now think that the complex behavior of vertebrates is a combination of genetic and learned aspects Imprinting – learning during a specific period of the animal’s life – example: birds The imprinting is genetic (innate) but the process is learned (experienced)