Consider at least two of Tinbergen's 'four questions' in relation to filial imprinting. Tinbergen’s ‘four questions’ refers to a publication from 1963 by Niko Tinbergen, one of the founding fathers of behavioural biology (Giraldeau, 2012). In which he outlined four questions in the study of animal behaviour, namely causation, development, function described as the survival value and evolution. Although Tinbergen’s questions were not original, as causation, function and evolution questions had already been discussed previously by biologist Julian Huxley, Tinbergen added a fourth question to the study of animal behaviour regarding development (Giraldeau, 2012). The four questions are divided into two categories proximate or causal questions, and ultimate or functional questions, and are often referred to as the four why as opposed to questions. The questions covered different perspectives regarding animal behaviour such as Function: looking at how well an animal’s behaviour has adapted for survival, for example birds flying south for winter to ensure a viable source of food. Whilst also drawing on Darwin’s theory of evolution to describe a trait that results in reproductive success, with the understanding that survival may not just be the fittest but also the most adaptable species, and the functions that the animal takes to ensure optimum success. The second of Tinbergen’s questions Phylogeny looks at the evolutionary explanations of development, as opposed to just how behaviour has adapted, including mutations in response to environmental changes. Some of these mutations remain in species even after necessity has gone, and can influence future characteristics of that species. The third of Tinbergen’s questions looks at Causation,... ... middle of paper ... ...’s additional question shows that the study of behaviours such as filial imprinting is not set, and that additional questions and new developments will give a batter undersatning of practices. Bibliography Bateson, P. K. N. .., 2013. Tinbergen’s four questions:an appreciation and an update. Trends in Ecology & Evolution , pp. 1-7. Giraldeau, B. J., 2012. Mechanisms of Animal Behaviour. s.l.:sage publications. Johan, J. B. G. .. d. V. a. J. P. K., 1990. Filial Imprinting and Associatid Learning. THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, Volume 428, pp. 313-329. Johan, J. B. R. C., 1998. Imprinting, learning and development: from behaviour to brain and back. Trends Neuroscience, Volume 306, pp. 306-311. Town, S. M. B., 2011. Neuronal Plasticity and Multisensory Integration in Filial imprinting. PLoS ONE, VOLUME 6(ISSUE 3), pp. 1-11.
In the following essay I will be looking into the study conducted by Watson and Rayner (1920) on a small child known as ‘Little Albert’. The experiment was an adaptation of earlier studies on classical conditioning of stimulus response, one most common by Ivan Pavlov, depicting the conditioning of stimulus response in dogs. Watson and Rayner aimed to teach Albert to become fearful of a placid white rat, via the use of stimulus associations, testing Pavlov’s earlier theory of classical conditioning.
Chapter two consists of Darwin continuing his studies. He talks about variation in the natural world compared to the domesticated species. He defines species variation and says that every naturalist has a different idea of the definition. He explains to the reader that linking other species together by characteristics of variation is challenging because some are so similar but vary in other ways. Environmental conditions could be effecting the variation. Climate, temperature, the separation of the animals could transform them. The species changes over time and have chi...
Rapidly evolving throughout the late Pleistocene to the early to mid Holocene, hunter-gatherer-fisher societies hunted megafauna creatures in a systematic and ethical way. When one species migrates to a different ecosystem, that species is not usually recognized as a threat to other species. Survival, during the late Pleistocene and Holocene era, was one of the most important aspects to life. Any organism, regardless of size, living within their environment had to stay alive and reproduce. During these two eras, it seems...
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Reinis, Stanislaw and Jerome M. Goldman. The Development of the Brain. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publishers, 1980.
Long standing arguments against the theory of natural selection stem from the occurrence of incipient structures and complex traits in organisms despite the seemingly stochastic nature of mutations. Many complex adaptations observed in nature today are thought to have arisen from less complex ones with simpler functions, therefore these characters are thought to have been “pre-adapted.” In order to go from a simple to a complex structures there must have been a transitional phase, where the two structures function simultaneously or where the new function is assumed without interfering with the old function. These structures are termed incipient or incomplete, and given what we know to be true of natural selection and the theory of evolution it becomes hard to reconcile the idea that natural selection continued to favor these structures despite the lack of selective value. Incipient structures are thought to be neither sufficiently large enough not elaborate enough to perform an adaptive function and thus it also becomes difficult to understand how larger complex characters arise. A discussion of morphological and developmental genetics explains that these structures have been performing useful functions since their simple origins, therefore being selectively favored while at the same time evolving to become large enough to accumulate new more complex functions. Modification of pre-existing genes and regulatory circuits in early development has been extensively studied in metazoans, Hox genes and the development of complex structures such as eyes, limbs and appendages. Phenotypic variation is therefore generated via the modification of existing genes, regulatory processes and developmental processes and this variation is acted o...
Reinis, Stanislaw and Jerome M. Goldman. The Development of the Brain. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publishers, 1980.
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
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Darwin’s observations from the islands made him want to come up with some explanation to why this occurred. He began to do research of each the species that had lived on these islands and observe all of the characteristics that had. He noticed that the islands h...
The successful application of these theories have been very interdisciplinary in their use, being applicable in the development of disorders and even calculating spending patterns across social groups. Behaviorism and social learning have evolved beyond the original use of solely educational purposes. However, the effectiveness of the behaviorism theory has come into question as an educational approach., L’Ecuyer (2014) explains that the behaviorism approach, “emphasizes the accumulation of information (knowledge), on external behaviors (skills and mechanical habits) and their emotional and physical reactions in given situations, rather than on the person’s internal mental states, such as intentionality, which are much more complex (p.2). The article questions the modern effectiveness of the behaviorism approach on children. I have found that the theory of social learning when paired with the behaviorism theory is still very useful in education, even with the influx of modern technologies. At the very core, behaviorism, both classical and, seeks to explain why humans react to certain stimuli. Operant is more used in socially especially in child rearing, how to effectively discipline and child via reinforcement of positive behaviors or corporal punishment for negative behaviors is still a highly debated topic. Social learning can also heavily influence