Social Interactions

1. Social Interactions • Animal Behaviors

2. Behavioral Controls • Genetic: Instincts, hormonal controls. • Learned: Imprinting, classical and operant conditioning, habituation, spatial learning, insight learning.

3. Genetic Controls • Reflexes are controlled by genes. • Instinctive behaviors also have a genetic control. • Hormones that guide behavior are coded in the genes. • Hybridization experiments with animals can result in “hybrid” instinctual behaviors.

4. Instincts • Sign stimuli: Hardwired response to well-defined clues. Results in a fixed-action pattern.

5. Learned Behaviors • Imprinting: Exposure to stimuli early in development.

6. Learned Behaviors • Conditioning: Associating an action with a result. • Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning (Trial and error)

7. Learned Behaviors • Habituation: Learning by experience NOT to respond to a stimulus.

8. Learned Behaviors • Spatial Learning: Acquiring a mental map after observing an environment and learning the local landmarks.

9. Learned Behaviors • Conceptual Learning: Forming an abstract generalization; pattern recognition.

10. Learned Behaviors • Insight learning: Solving a problem without trial-and-error, usually by thinking a problem through.

11. Communication Signals • Chemical signals, such as pheromones. • Displays • Threat • Courtship • Tactile

12. Reproductive Behavior • Sexual selection: choosing a quality mate. • Parenting strategies • Many offspring, little care • Few offspring, much care

13. Social Groups • Benefits • Defense against predators • Cooperative care of young • Cooperative hunting • Costs • Some do not get to reproduce • Some are more likely to become prey. • Diseases spread faster.