Innate and learned behavior

1. Innate and learned behavior Option E.3

2. Assessment Statements • E.3.1 Distinguish between innate and learnedbehaviour. • E.3.2 Design experiments to investigate innate behaviour in invertebrates, including either a taxis or a kinesis. • E.3.3 Analyse data from invertebrate behaviour experiments in terms of the effect on chances of survival and reproduction. • E.3.4 Discuss how the process of learning can improve the chance of survival. • E.3.5 Outline Pavlov’s experiments into conditioning of dogs. • E.3.6 Outline the role of inheritance and learning in the development of birdsong in young birds.

3. Two types of scientists • Ethologists • study the behavior of animals in their natural environment • Examine patterns of behavior that affect an animal’s life • Psychologists • Study the behavior of animals in an artificial environment • Collect data on learning and motivation that could never be measured in the natural environment

4. Etymology ethologist psychologist Ancient Greekψυχή (psukhē),  “‘soul’”) + -logia (“‘study of’”) • from Greek: ἦθος, ethos, "character"; and -λογία, -logia

5. Innate behavior • Develops independently of environmental context • Spider spins web correctly the first time • Infants suckle innately • Controlled by genes and inherited from parents • Some performed in certain order • Mating behavior of the three-spined stickleback fish

6. Learned behavior • Not genetically programmed • Process of gaining knowledge or skills or modifying existing knowledge or skills • Learning can only be measured by performance • Ex. Pedal pushing results in gain of food • Behavior output is not always easily seen, therefore, learning is sometimes difficult to measure

7. Comparison

8. Investigating innate behavior in invertebrates • Innate behaviors can be measured as the animals respond to environmental stimuli • Two basic kinds of movement are seen in invertebrate animals: • Taxis • Kinesis

9. Taxis • A directed response to a stimulus • If the animal’s body is directed toward the stimulus, it has a positive response • If the animal’s body is directed away from the stimulus, it has a negative response • Taxes are identified by the type of stimuli to which the organism is responding

10. Chemotaxis: response to chemicals in the environment; experiments involving variation in pH, dissolved drugs, food, pesticides • Phototaxis: response to light; experiments involving different wavelengths of light, intensities, and different types of bulb • Gravitaxis: response to gravity; experiments with organism in container that is turned upside down or on a turntable • Rheotaxis: response to water current; experiment involving animals with and against current • Thigmotaxis: response to touch; experiment involving different types of material to touch an organism

11. Commonly used organisms • Planaria • Flatworm which lives in lakes and ponds under leaves and rocks and hides for protection • Active and move by contraction of muscle fibers in their body • Simple nervous system; eyespots which contain photoreceptors; chemoreceptors which respond to certain chemicals (food) • Euglena • Single-celled protist • Has flagellum which propels it quickly through the water • Has an eyespot which is stimulated by light • Has chlorophyll

12. Kinesis • Movement in response to a non-directional stimulus, such as humidity • Rate of movement of the animal depends on the intensity of the stimulus, not its direction • Animal does not move toward or away from the stimulus buy randomly until it is in a more comfortable spot

13. Orthokinesis: when an organism moves slowly or rapidly (changes speed) in response to the stimulus but does not move towards the stimulus • Klinokinesis: when an organism turns slowly or rapidly in response to the stimulus but it does not move towards the stimulus

14. Commonly used organisms • Isopods (woodlice; rollypollies) • Terrestrial crustaceans • Breath with gills; need moisture in order to breath • Live in damp places; die if exposed to dry conditions for a long period of time

15. Learning improves the chance of survival • Learning occurs most easily when it results in the animal’s survival • Imprinting – process by which young animals become attached to their mother within the first day or so after hatching or birth; assures that the young stay close to their mother for protection and as a source of food

16. Food hoarding – store food when it is plentiful and return when there is a shortage; allows them to stay nourished even in times of food shortages • Song – attracts a mate and deters rival males • How to get food • Mimicry

17. Pavlov and conditioning • Classical conditioning can be used to modify a reflex response • Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov designed experiments to illustrate classical conditioning • His subjects were dogs

18. Salivation is a reflex response to the presence of food in the mouth • Food is unconditional stimuluswhich elicits salivation which is unconditional response • Neutral stimulation that Pavlov employed was the ringing of a bell • He rang the bell (conditioned stimulus) just before the dog tasted the food • After training, the could ring the bell (CS) and the dog would salivate (conditioned result) • Dog had learned to salivate to the neutral stimulus

19. Learning of birdsong in young birds • Each species of bird has a species-specific song which is inherited • Birds learn to improve the song they have inherited • Birds are able to sing due to their vocal organ, called the syrinx located at the bottom of their trachea • Birds control the pitch by altering the tension in the membranes of the syrinx • If birds are kept in a lab and denied any auditory stimulation, they produce a crude song

20. After hatching, there is a memorization phase in which the bird is silent but listening to the song of his species from adults (males) • He attempts to match his template to the full adult song • Phase if over within 100 days (sensitive period) • 2nd phase is motor phase in which he practices singing, continuing to listen to his own song and match it to his father’s • As he becomes sexually mature, his song will become perfected and he will begin to search for a mate • Crude template is innate; adult song is learned