Outline Tinbergen's Four Questions

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The Answer is Nikolaas Tinbergen, a pioneering ethologist, proposed four questions to understand animal behavior. These questions are categorized into two main groups: ultimate causes and proximate causes.

The ultimate causes of behavior focus on the evolutionary reasons for why a behavior exists. These questions are concerned with the function and adaptive significance of a behavior. The four ultimate questions are:
1. What is the function of the behavior?
2. How does the behavior develop over the lifetime of an individual?
3. How does the behavior compare with other species?
4. What is the evolutionary history of the behavior?

On the other hand, the proximate causes of behavior focus on the immediate mechanisms that underlie a behavior. These questions are concerned with the physiological and developmental processes that lead to a behavior. The four proximate questions are:
1. What triggers the behavior?
2. How does the behavior occur?
3. What are the developmental mechanisms underlying the behavior?
4. What are the physiological mechanisms underlying the behavior?

The distinction between ultimate cause and proximate cause is that ultimate causes focus on the evolutionary reasons for a behavior, while proximate causes focus on the immediate mechanisms that underlie a behavior. In other words, ultimate causes address why a behavior exists in the context of evolution, while proximate causes address how a behavior occurs at a physiological and developmental level.

Outline Tinbergen's Four Questions

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Outline Tinbergen's Four Questions

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Correct Answer:
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