Deck 1: The Science of Animal Behavior

Question 1

In response to moderate winds, many small spiderlings climb high in vegetation and release several strands of silk that form a "parachute." The spider is then lifted into the air by the wind and drifts to a new location, a phenomenon known as "ballooning." Which of the following is true?

A) The movement associated with ballooning would not be considered a behavior because it is not internally coordinated
B) Ballooning would not be considered a behavior because it is not externally visible
C) Spider movement associated with ballooning would not be considered a behavior because it occurs in response to changing conditions
D) The movement associated with ballooning would not be considered a behavior because it is not an activity pattern
E) The movement associated with ballooning would not be considered a behavior because only some spiders exhibit this activity

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following correctly defines animal behavior?

A) any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of internal conditions that respond to changing external conditions
B) Any externally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing external conditions
C) Any externally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing external and internal conditions
D) Any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing internal or external conditions

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following would NOT be included in an ethogram?

A) Sleeping duration
B) Stereotypic behaviors
C) Feeding frequency
D) Hormone profiles
E) Fighting behavior

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following would NOT be included in an ethogram?

A) The number of times the animal ate fruit
B) The level of estrogen throughout the day
C) The levels of aggressive behavior displayed
D) The length of time the animal spent grooming itself
E) The rate of calling behavior

Question 5

Ethograms allow a researcher to calculate which of the following?

A) A time budget a.
B) The fitness of an individual
C) Adaptive behavior
D) Selection on a behavior
E) Density-dependent selection on a behavior

Question 6

An ethogram

A) Is a description of all behaviors an animal exhibits
B) Is a catalogue of defined, discrete behaviors
C) Only includes behaviors that can be measured by how many times it occurred or how long it occurred
D) Only includes one category of behavior

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a formal part of the scientific process?

A) A prediction
B) Assumptions
C) A research question
D) Hypotheses
E) Causality

Question 8

Which of the following approaches would provide the strongest test of the hypothesis that the density of individuals affects aggression?

A) A controlled experiment that varies aggression by manipulating hormone level
B) A controlled experiment that varies density and records aggression
C) A correlation between aggression and density across many populations
D) Observations of aggression over a season as density varies
E) A demonstration that aggression is highest just before the breeding season

Question 9

Which of the following is in correct temporal sequence?

A) Research hypothesis, test, prediction, research question
B) Research hypothesis, Prediction, Research question, Test
C) Prediction, test, research hypothesis, research question
D) Test, research question, prediction, research hypothesis
E) Research question, research hypothesis, prediction, test

Question 10

A researcher tested the hypothesis that hoverflies prefer to feed on white-colored flowers. She presented flies with an equal number of red, blue, and white flowers and recorded their visitation behavior. She found that bees did not exhibit a preference for any color. This is an example of:

A) Alternate results
B) A nondirectional hypothesis
C) Negative results
D) Causality results
E) A scientific theory

Question 11

Which of the following is a significant criticism of anthropomorphic thinking to explain behavior?

A) Anthropomorphic thinking is prevalent in the media
B) Animals do not experience emotions commonly incorporated into anthropomorphic thinking
C) Correlation does not imply causality in anthropomorphic thinking
D) Anthropomorphic thinking rarely produces testable predictions
E) Anthropomorphic thinking does not include frequency-dependent selection

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of an alternate hypothesis?

A) Can juvenile fish learn the identity of predators from chemical cues?
B) Juvenile fish learn to identify predators faster than adult fish.
C) Juvenile and adult fish learn to identify predators at the same rate.
D) Identifying predators is an adaptation.
E) Do juvenile fish respond to different predators than adult fish?

Question 13

The larvae of stream caddisflies graze on algae in streams and defend territories from other individuals. A researcher observed that in streams with low algae abundance, caddisflies tended to defend large territories, while in streams with high algae abundance, individuals tended to defend small territories. Territory size was intermediate in streams with moderate levels of algae. What can you conclude from these data?

A) Territoriality in this species functions to prevent starvation
B) Caddisfly size affects territory size
C) Algae abundance affects territory size in caddisflies
D) The environment affects territory size in caddisflies
E) Algae abundance is correlated with territory size in caddisflies

Question 14

The field of behavior that studies behavior independent of animal mental states or consciousness is known as

A) Comparative psychology
B) Behaviorism
C) Classical ethology
D) Behavioral ecology

Question 15

A study examining the stimulus-response behavior of a pigeon would be an example of

A) Behavioral ecology
B) Classical ethology
C) Behaviorism
D) Comparative psychology

Question 16

Who formalized the distinction between proximate and ultimate explanations of behavior?

A) E. L. Thorndike
B) Charles Darwin
C) George Romanes
D) C. Lloyd Morgan
E) Niko Tinbergen

Question 17

Which of the following is not considered to be a comparative psychologist?

A) Niko Tinbergen
B) C. Lloyd Morgan
C) E. L. Thorndike
D) Margaret Floy Washburne
E) George Romanes

Question 18

Who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine "for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behavior patterns"?

A) Charles Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace, and Georges Romanes
B) B. F. Skinner, John Watson, and Ivan Pavlov
C) E. L. Thorndike, Margaret Floy Washburne, and C.Lloyd Morgan
D) Karl von Frisch, Niko Tinbergen, and Konrad Lorenz

Question 19

A research study quantifies the fitness of individuals that defend territories of different size and finds that individuals that defend a territory of 10 m² have the highest fitness. This is an example of:

A) Use of parsimony to explain territorial behavior
B) A proximate explanation of territorial behavior
C) Use of the comparative method to understand territorial behavior
D) An ultimate explanation of territorial behavior
E) Phylogenetic analysis of territorial behavior

Question 20

A researcher observed variation in plasma testosterone hormone levels in birds that was associated with variation in aggression: birds with higher levels of testosterone were more aggressive. In addition, experimental addition of testosterone increased an individual's level of aggression. Which of the following is correct about this work?

A) It is a proximate explanation of behavior
B) The results contradict Morgan's canon
C) An ethogram of this species should include testosterone level
D) It builds on the work of Ivan Pavlov
E) It exemplifies the comparative method

Question 21

Define hypothesis and explain why it is critical to the scientific process.

Question 22

Define animal behavior.

Question 23

Describe the difference between proximate and ultimate explanations of behavior. Use human infant crying as an example.

Question 24

What data indicated that dogs do not feel "guilty" when they disobey their owner?

Question 25

During the COVID-19 pandemic, zoos and aquariums were closed. Numerous news outlests have described zoo animals as being lonely because they are missing their human visitors. Discuss the validity of the news statement and describe data you could use to determine the wellbeing of animals in zoos in the absence of human visitors.

Question 26

Scientific Process 1.1 results were displayed in a point graph while those in Scientific Process 1.2 were displayed as a bar graph. Explain why different graphs are used in each of these cases.