Essay on Ethology and Behavior Animal Behavior

Submitted By angelchan0804
Words: 5614
Pages: 23
Open Document
Week 2
Lecture 20150112(MON)
A historical perspective of the Study of Animal behavior
Animal behavior interests date back to prehistoric times
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
Often considered to be the father of biology
Classified more than 540 species of animals; segregated as vertebrates (enaima) or invertebrates (“Anaima”) based on the presence or absence of blood
Produce the first systematic account of animal behavior (Historia Animalium)
Proposed the concept of scala naturae (“natural ladder”) to explain a gradual transition from inanimate to plants, animals, and humans
Historia Animalism
Species’ habitats
Animal behavior (e.g. foraging and social behavior of bees, migratory behavior of cranes and pelicans, electric discharge of electric rays, brood parasitism by European cuckoos)
Relative grades of animal intelligence
The lagoon: How Aristotle invented science (2014)
Recovered Aristotle’s science
Classical Roots of Ethology
Aristotle’s concept of scala naturae became closely intertwined with our view of God and religion (Compatible with the Biblical view)
Scala naturae was seen as logically ending with God as the ultimate expression of perfection
Medieval Concept of God’s strict and hierarchical structure of the universe
“The Great Chain of Being”—Universal hierarchy of life
A powerful visual metaphor for a divinely inspired universal hierarchy ranking all forms of higher and lower life, humans are represented by the male alone
Ranked animals by level of development (lowest forms at bottom, humans near the top) When Darwin starts to refuse these “truth”

Pre-Darwinian Roots (17th-18th centuries)
Three schools of thought
1. Aristotelians: (their thought)
a. Distinguished human soul (vs. animals which do not have souls)
b. Humans are rational and use logical reasoning
c. Animals are guided by sensory perception
2. Cartesians (Based on Descartes)
a. Shared Descartes concept of Mind-body Dualism
i. Maintained that humans are unique from animals because of their ability for mental experience (Mind)
b. Subscribed to Descartes’ mechanical theory of Animal behavior (inspired by moving statues in the gardens of the Saint Germain palace)
c. Descartes conceived animals as complex “moving statues” equipped with finer tubes and faster and lighter fluids called “animal spirits (?)
d. Thus, they maintained that animals (w/no soul or free-will) operated as mere machines or brutes and followed the rules of physics
3. Sensationalists
a. Major influence from John Locke (1600’s)
i. Tabula rasa—“blank or erased tablet” ii. “All ideas come from sensation or reflection” iii. Believed animals and humans were born with a tabula rasa iv. It is the learning process that determines what is “on the tablet”
b. Humans knowing draw from same resources as those available to animal
i. Stress the role of environment and experience
4. Summary of Contrasts:
Aristotelians/Cartesians
Sensationalists
1. Dichotomy between humans as reasoning beings with souls and animals as automata
Humans responds to environment like animals
2. Complex behavior explained by instincts(天性) instilled by God
Downplayed instincts, emphasized acquired knowledge
3. Innate tendency of species
Agnostics/atheists無神論者
4.
Environmental effects on individuals
a. Dichotomy—division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions

Cartesian Dilemma
It was clear that the “beast machine” image of animals was not correct because animals clearly could perceive, feel, and act intelligently as no machine could
Led to new dichotomies!!!!!
Animals do show some level of intelligence
Dichotomies
Humans as rational being vs. Animals as beast-machines
NEW dichotomies: Instinct vs. learning & Nature vs. Nurture
Darwin’s Evolutionary Framework
His statement: Human and Animals are interrelated!!! (really controversial at that time)
The Origin of Species—general theory of evolution by natural selection
Natural selection—process of differential reproduction and survivorship among individuals within a
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Ethology and Behavior Animal Behavior

Suicide: Suicide and Natural Suicide Rate Essay

suicidal behavior: (1) Is suicide ever a rational act? (2) How common is burdensomeness as a motive for suicide? (3) Can suicide be an instinctive behavior? (4) Does suicide benefit the society? (5) Is suicide found in animals other than humans? (6) Why have we failed to have a major impact on the suicide rate despite all of our efforts and will we ever have an impact? (7) Is there a natural suicide rate? Keywords: Gaia hypothesis; suicide; rationality; burdensomeness; instinct; animal suicide;…

Words 4997 - Pages 20

Biology notes Essay

Terms Behavior: any observable activity of a living animal Ethology: the study of animal behavior Some examples of behavior include: Moths fly to a light Bluebirds sing, wolves howl, frogs croak Humans dance, play sports, & wage wars Cats stalk mice Two Forms of Behavior Innate: usually genetically-based (nature) Learned: usually environment-based (nurture) Innate behavior can be performed without prior experience Performed (to completion) the 1st time an animal of the…

Words 1005 - Pages 5

soab tcp Essay

hart 10/17/13 Garrett Vail Example paper The Study of Animal Behavior through Comparative Psychology I have found that the use of comparative psychology to study animal behavior has been a most crucial part in the development of todays’ society in humans alike. Comparative psychology is a branch of psychology popularly focused on comparing animal behavior to human behavior. Essentially comparative psychology focuses on animal psychology and the implications that science may have on our…

Words 1454 - Pages 6

Human-Centric Theory Of Dog Training

during the 1940’s. While the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) wasn’t formed until 1993 by well-known veterinarian and animal behaviorist, Ian Dunbar, dog training in its earliest form has been in existence since the Roman era. Although dog training has been in existence for centuries, whether for herding livestock, or present day obedience, animal behavior commonly used to develop training methods, only…

Words 871 - Pages 4

Psych Notes Essay

a separate spiritual entity from the body. Most modern scientists hold the view that mind and body are one Repression: mechanism protecting us by keeping anxiety-arousing impulses in the unconscious depths of the mind Explanations of Behavior - Behavior can be explained on at least 3 different levels - Each level addresses different mechanisms - The levels are not exclusive - No level is better than the other, just a different aspect or focus of study - Biological Factors: ex. brain mechanisms…

Words 1386 - Pages 6

Paradigm Rules That Regulate Human Life

Ch 8 Norm Rules that regulate human life, including social conventions, explicit laws, and implicit cultural standards Role A given social position that is governed by a set of norms for proper behavior Culture A program of shared rules that governs the behavior of members of a community or society, and a set of values, beliefs, and attitudes shared by most members of that community The obedience study Stanley Milgram and coworkers investigated whether people would follow orders…

Words 2009 - Pages 9

Biology Study Guide

prokaryotic. Archaea: Unicellular, prokaryotic. Eukarya: Unicellular and colonial and multicellular, eukaryotic. Geologic Time Scale: Eras: Precambrian (4.6 bya-570mya): Invertebrates/primitive marine life. Paleozoic (570mya-225mya): First fish, land animals, amphibians, and reptiles. Mesozoic (225mya-65mya): Dinosaurs, mammals, and birds. Cenozoic (65mya-present): Humans. Extinctions/Explosions: Cambrian Explosion: Life on land due to oxygen. Permian Extinction: Death of organisms due to formation of…

Words 1143 - Pages 5

Psychology and United States Essay

value," or usefulness, of an idea. James opposed the structuralism focus on introspection and breaking down mental events to the smallest elements. Instead, James focused on the wholeness of an event, taking into the impact of the environment on behavior. The James-Lange theory of emotion proposes that an event triggers a physiological reaction, which we then interpret. According to this theory, emotions are caused by our interpretations of these physiological reactions. Both James and the Danish…

Words 4573 - Pages 19

Essay on Different Sources of Variation in Marriage and Mating Systems in the !Kung San Hunter-Gatherer and the Yanomamo Horticulturalist Societies

Marriage is a fundamental practice that influences village dynamics and political processes in many societies in past and present human cultures. Not only is marriage a process that supports human kinship systems, it allows for alliances and reciprocity systems between groups that create variation in human social organization (Walker et al. 2011). This paper explores the sources of variation in marriage and mating systems in two very different societies, the !Kung San and the Yanomamo, in terms of…

Words 1935 - Pages 8

BompensaRPSY7013 2a Essay examples

NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET Student: Rhonda Bompensa THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETELY FILLED IN Follow these procedures: If requested by your instructor, please include an assignment cover sheet. This will become the first page of your assignment. In addition, your assignment header should include your last name, first initial, course code, dash, and assignment number. This should be left justified, with the page number right justified. For example: DoeJXXX0000-1…

Words 3209 - Pages 13