Automatic behaviour
A baby will cry when it hurts itself, that was not taught; it was a natural response which is automatic.
Learned Behaviour
A bee’s waggle dance is innate behaviour. However, the bees that watch the dance learn where the food is and fly off in its direction. This is learned behaviour.
Social Behaviour
A behaviour in which animals communicate with or react to other animals of the same species is a social behaviour. Bees also use social behaviour to tell each other where to find food.
Communicating with Pheromones
They are chemical signals that insects release to convey information such as the location of food, or a signal to protect the hive and queen.
How do animals feed?
When the lion and cheetah catch a zebra they have to kill it as soon as possible.
They use their sharp claws to grip into the flesh of the zebra when they jump onto it. The zebra is then overbalanced and pulled to the ground. The big cat then puts its teeth around the zebra's windpipe and firmly closes its mouth. The zebra dies very quickly by suffocation.
Parrots can learn to mimic human words. In one case, a parrot was stolen (with other items) from a house. The owner spotted the burglars and ran after them shouting ‘Robbery! Robbery!’ A little later, the thieves’ car was stopped for a routine check and the parrot squawked ‘Robbery! Robbery!’ The thieves were arrested.
How can animals be trained?
Ivan Pavlov thought that the dogs had learned to produce saliva when seeing lab coats because they were fed by people wearing lab coats. To test his theory he rang a bell at feeding time. Soon, the dogs produced saliva just on hearing the bell.
Similarities between Human and animal Behaviour.
Most birds can make sounds but they learn their particular songs from their parents. They then use their song to attract mates or tell others where their territory is. This is like humans. Babies cry innately when they are wet, hurt or hungry. Later, they learn to cry to get attention and then they learn to speak a language.
Innate behaviours
Sneezing and removing your hand quickly from a hot object are innate behaviours. You have little control over them.
Example of innate behaviour
When you touch something hot your reaction will be to remove it from the heat source. You don’t mean to move your hand but you natural response is to take it away.
Example of Learned behaviours
When someone arm is aimed at your face your reaction will be to place your hand between your face and the persons arm. This is a learned behaviour because that was showed to you by someone.
Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology is using psychology to answer legal questions. Some forensic psychologists work on murder cases to try to work out what a murderer is like and how he or she behaves. This may give the police an idea of what they are looking for.
Different types of learning
In classical conditioning, a new external stimulus happens at the same time as a stimulus that causes an innate response. The new stimulus then also causes the innate response.
Trial and error learning is when animals learn to associate an action with a good or bad event, by trial and error. A rat in a cage might press a lever by accident and get food. It soon learns that pressing the lever will deliver food.
Imprinting is a behaviour learned during a short ‘window’ of time in an animal’s development. For a few hours after hatching, some birds will closely follow the first moving object they see after they hatch.
Developing their own recall skills
People could try to always put their hands on their heads when they see that someone is trying to punch them. You could also go to martial arts training to improve your reaction time and be more defensive in a fight.
Advantages and disadvantages of Behavioural experiments using Humans and animals
- Some experiments could be dangerous and may cost lives of Humans and animals.
- We will be able to learn more about the Behaviour
