Animal Behavior Learning Concepts

What is the scientific study of animal behavior called?

• Zoology

• Ecology

• Ethology

• Physiology

Which of the following best describes an instinct?

• A behavior learned through observation.

• A complex behavior that develops over time through practice.

• A genetically programmed behavior present from birth.

• A behavior acquired by associating two different stimuli.

A Greylag goose automatically retrieves any egg-shaped object placed near its nest, even if it's not its own egg. This is an example of what type of behavior?

• Learned behavior

• Imprinting

• Fixed action pattern

• Associative learning

What is the term for a type of learning that occurs during a specific critical period in an animal's early life, often involving forming an attachment to the first moving object it sees?

• Habituation

• Imprinting

• Conditioning

• Sensitization

Bears learn to raid bird feeders because they associate the feeders with a source of food. This type of learning is known as:

• Instinct

• Imprinting

• Trial and error

• Associative learning

What type of learning involves an animal associating its actions with consequences to modify its behavior?

• Classical conditioning

• Operant conditioning

• Habituation

• Observational learning

A squirrel initially runs away when a car passes, but after many cars pass without incident, it stops reacting. What type of learning is this?

• Operant conditioning

• Observational learning

• Habituation

• Insight learning

A sea anemone initially tries to consume any object that touches its tentacles. If a piece of plastic repeatedly touches its tentacles without providing nutrition, what will likely happen to the anemone's response?

• It will learn to seek out plastic for food

• It will develop a stronger feeding response

• It will habituate and ignore the plastic

• It will become more aggressive towards the plastic

What type of learning occurs when an animal learns a new behavior by watching another animal perform it?

• Classical conditioning

• Habituation

• Operant conditioning

• Observational learning

A chimpanzee is in a room with several boxes and a banana hanging too high to reach. After a period of contemplation, the chimpanzee suddenly stacks the boxes to reach the banana. This is an example of what type of learning?

• Trial and error

• Habituation

• Insight learning

• Classical conditioning