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.