Behavior (Response to Stimuli)

Which of the following is an example of instinctive behavior?

• A puppy cuddling with its human owner

• A duckling swimming after its mother

• A young child learning how to read

• A kitten learning to use a litter box

What is the best definition of behavior?

• The way an organism acts in its environment

• The sum total of an organism's good and bad actions.

• The learned mechanisms of survival in organisms

• How an organism's body evolves within it's lifetime

What can you infer about the instinctive behaviors of many baby animals?

• They are usually fairly useless in the wild

• They usually revolve around avoiding humans

• They usually revolve around obtaining food and safety

• They are usually taught to them by their mothers

What is an example of a human reflex?

• Avoiding dangerous streets and neighborhoods.

• Feeling affection toward one's friends.

• Quickly moving back from the source of a sudden, startling noise.

• Screaming when one doesn't get what one wants.

Which of the following is an example of learned behavior in humans?

• Knowing which key opens a door

• Blinking or sneezing when you come out into a bright light

• Scratching mosquito bites

• Gagging when something is placed at the back of your mouth

Courtship behavior helps organisms:

• Survive to old age

• Learn

• Eat

• Reproduce

In the movie, Tim says reflexes are "involuntary." What does this mean?

• . People learn them before the age of five

• People perform them without thinking

• People need to perform them to survive

• People always dislike performing them

A scientist places a rat in a maze on five occasions. He finds that the rat runs the maze faster each time. This demonstrates that:

• The rat is motivated by a desire to please humans

• The rat's instincts are extremely sharp

• The rat's reflexes are all in working order

• The rat has the capacity to learn/improve new behaviors

Tame animals do not attack humans, because they have been ________ to the presence of humans.

• Manipulated

• Stimulated

• Habituated

• Instinctuated

What is the "nature vs. nurture" debate about?

• How much of human behavior is genetic, and how much of it is shaped by our environment.

• How much of human behavior is learned from our parents, and how much is learned from other sources.

• How much of human behavior is learned outdoors, and how much is learned indoors.

• How much of human behavior is useful, and how much is useless.