Unit 1 Scientific Approaches

Chapter 1

History

History

• Comparative psychology- concerned w/ ani beh

• Ethology- branch of biology studying ani beh

• Behavioral ecology- interaction bt/wn ani w/each other and enviro

Old dead guys!

• 300 BC• Aristotle organized

living things by complexity, named them by genus and species

• Genus= group, species=unique properties

More old dead guys!

• 16th and 17th cent• Lots of studies in

anatomy and physiology

• Descartes researched that ani beh is governed by laws and principles

• 18th cent• Linnaeus- system of

classification

Up to 19th cent

• Early 19th cent• Lamarck- evolution (all

species descended from older, from simple to more complex)

• 19th cent• Darwin- changed views

from anthropocentric (humans center of everything) to we evolved too

Go Darwin, Go Darwin!

• Book “Origin of Species” produced a mechanism to support theory of evolution

• Natural selection- ani and humans live in same universe, all related by common ancestors

More dead old guys

• Mendel- studied genetics, reinforced theory of evolution

• William James- “Principles of Psychology”, human consciousness

• Lloyd Morgan- comparative psych on ani beh, simplest explanation is best

• John Watson- founded school of behaviorism, learning processes, rats

Ethology

• Branch of bio, studies ani beh w/in environ

• Field studies on ani beh in natural environ

• FAP- fixed action patterns, innate, present in all members of species

• Triggered by a sign stimulus

• Ex: color during mating triggers aggression in males

Behavioral ecology

• Evolutionary principles of adaptation

• Environments are interacting systems

• Sociobiology- social behaviors of animals

Animal classification

• Taxonomy- classifying and naming animals

• Indicate relationships• Most important

characteristics• KPCOFGS• Genus- group• Species- can interbreed

and produce viable offspring

Animal behavior

• Why do they do that?• What is accomplished?• What is provided by this

behavior?• Functional- due to

evolution• Purposeful- future

planning, consciousness• Proximate (mechanical)

causes- immediate circumstances that evoke beh