Exam 26: Animal Behavior

The ability to make changes in behavior based on experience is called _ .

Wolves are social animals that behave and communicate with each other through a variety of body movements. If a wolf who is initially aggressive as he moves through the pack encounters a more dominant individual, his behavior shifts. Which of the postures shown does he assume?

What is operant conditioning?

Baby ducks can be taught to behave as though a human investigator was their mother by providing the appropriate stimulus during a sensitive period. This form of learning is called

Failure to respond to harmless, repetitive stimulation is an example of

At the start of the breeding season, male stickleback fish undergo a number of significant changes. Their bellies become bright red and they become aggressive toward other males of the species, establishing and defending territories in which they build their nests. Although most male- male encounters consist solely of the resident lunging at an intruder, if this fails to drive off the intruder, the resident may bite. Females choose to mate with males that have large territories and well- constructed nests. What would you expect to happen as nest sites become scarcer?

During operant conditioning, an animal learns to

When you first move to a city, you can hardly sleep because of the nighttime traffic noise. Within a week, you don't notice it at all. This is an example of _ .

Trial- and- error learning can be important in the development of a behavior.

In a classic experiment from the 1930s, a biologist conducted selective breeding experiments involving maze- running behavior in rats. He repeatedly bred together males and females that made the fewest mistakes, and he also bred together males and females that made the most mistakes. After eight generations, all mice that descended from "maze- smart" parents were better at running the maze than all mice that descended from "maze- dumb" parents. This study indicates that

Suckling is an innate behavior in mammals.

Pheromones are species specific.

In a wolf pack, the alpha is the animal.

Two cats getting ready to fight puff up their fur to make themselves look larger. This is an example of

A newly hatched duck adopts the first large, moving object it sees as its mother. This is an example of _.

When walking your male dog, you notice that he urinates on every vertical object in his path. His urine is used to "mark" his territory and serves as a chemical signal to other dogs. What does the urine contain?

When a 1- month- old baby is shown a piece of white paper with two dark, eye- sized spots, the baby will

A bird flashing white patches underneath its wings is an example of what type of communication?

Only primates have the ability to communicate by sound.

Which communication method is most effective over short distances?