Deck 26: Animal Behavior

Question 1

A toad avoiding bad- tasting insects is an example of a(n)

A) learned behavior.
B) instinctive behavior.
C) random behavior.
D) innate behavior.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

After eating at the new restaurant in town, you develop a mild case of food poisoning. Consequently, you never go back to that restaurant again. This is an example of

A) innate behavior.
B) trial- and- error learning.
C) habituation.
D) classical conditioning.
E) insight learning.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A child learns which foods taste good or bad through

A) insight learning.
B) habituation.
C) trial- and- error learning.
D) innate learning.
E) imprinting.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Nesting geese will roll softballs (placed next to their nests by biologists) into their nests, perhaps because the balls resemble eggs that might have rolled out of the nest. This behavior is most likely

A) insight learning.
B) trial- and- error learning.
C) conditioned.
D) habituation.
E) innate.

Question 5

If a baby squirrel is adopted by a mother cat and begins to copy the behaviors of the cat, it is an example of

A) operant conditioning.
B) insight learning.
C) imprinting.
D) habituation.
E) trial- and- error learning.

Question 6

A newly hatched duck adopts the most frequently encountered animal or object it sees during a sensitive period as its mother. This is an example of

A) operant conditioning.
B) insight learning.
C) habituation.
D) trial- and- error learning.
E) imprinting.

Question 7

Which communication method is most effective over short distances?

A) Touch
B) Pheromones
C) Vocalizations
D) Dominance hierarchies
E) Visual communication

Question 8

When walking your male dog, you notice that he urinates on every vertical object in his path. His urine is used to "mark" his territory and serves as a chemical signal to other dogs. What does the urine contain?

A) Hormones
B) Releasers
C) Pheromones
D) Apomones

Question 9

Training an animal to respond in a specific way to a stimulus is called

A) operant conditioning.
B) insight learning.
C) habituation.
D) trial- and- error learning.
E) imprinting.

Question 10

When city dwellers fail to respond to ordinary traffic sounds, it is an example of

A) operant conditioning.
B) insight learning.
C) habituation.
D) trial- and- error learning.
E) imprinting.

Question 11

Failure to respond to harmless, repetitive stimulation is an example of

A) operant conditioning.
B) insight learning.
C) habituation.
D) trial- and- error learning.
E) imprinting.

Question 12

If you teach your dog to sit by giving him a treat for every correct response, this is an example of

A) habituation.
B) insight learning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) innate behavior.
E) social learning.

Question 13

During operant conditioning, an animal learns to

A) change an imprinted behavior.
B) behave like a different animal.
C) imprint upon an inappropriate object.
D) perform a response to a new stimulus.
E) perform a behavior to receive a reward or avoid punishment.

Question 14

The protist Stentor contracts when it is touched for the first time but gradually stops retracting if the touching is continued. This behavior is called

A) insight learning.
B) habituation.
C) operant conditioning.
D) a sensitive period.
E) imprinting.

Question 15

A strong association learned during a sensitive period of an animal's development is referred to as

A) imprinting.
B) habituation.
C) insight learning.
D) altruism.
E) classical conditioning.

Question 16

Which type of learning would be most beneficial for a person from New York City who is shipwrecked on an uninhabited tropical island?

A) Insight learning
B) Operant conditioning
C) Innate learning
D) Imprinting
E) Habituation

Question 17

Ivan Pavlov is most closely associated with

A) insight learning.
B) classical conditioning with dogs.
C) breeding experiments with pigeons.
D) operant conditioning (trial- and- error learning).
E) imprinting experiments with ducks.

Question 18

Baby ducks can be taught to behave as though a human investigator was their mother by providing the appropriate stimulus during a sensitive period. This form of learning is called

A) fixed action behavior.
B) imprinting.
C) habituation.
D) altruism.
E) classical conditioning.

Question 19

B. F. Skinner is most closely associated with

A) causing chickens to return to the roost at night.
B) insight learning.
C) breeding experiments with pigeons.
D) imprinting experiments with ducks.
E) operant conditioning (trial- and- error learning).

Question 20

A behavior that occurs immediately after birth, before any encounter with another member of the same species, is

A) learned.
B) innate.
C) based on habituation.
D) nonadaptive.
E) not under genetic control.

Question 21

Bowerbirds build elaborate nests to

A) hide from predators.
B) attract prey.
C) defend their territory.
D) attract a mate.
E) increase aggressive behavior.

Question 22

What is the advantage of play?

A) Play decreases the risk of injury to the young.
B) Play is a chance to practice skills such as hunting, fleeing, and social behaviors.
C) Play slows the development of adult behaviors.
D) Play decreases competition within the group.
E) Play keeps the young close to the parents for longer.

Question 23

When threatened, a cobra will rear up and spread its hood, which makes its head look larger and displays the eye spots. What kind of behavior is this?

A) A readiness to mate
B) A desire to fight
C) An aggressive display
D) A submissive posture
E) Dominance in a social group

Question 24

The greatest long- distance sound communication occurs among

A) birds.
B) bats.
C) elephants.
D) insects.
E) whales.

Question 25

Which of these is an example of a pheromone?

A) A peacock's tail
B) The waggle dance of the honeybee
C) Bird song
D) A dog urinating on a bush
E) Light emitted by fireflies

Question 26

What is the function of the dominance hierarchy within a group of animals?

A) Limit the size of the population
B) Eliminate competition
C) Increase fighting among members of a population
D) Minimize aggression
E) Increase competition

Question 27

How do silk moths attract mates?

A) The males turn bright red as a visual signal.
B) The females flit around the males in an elaborate dance.
C) The males sing a high- pitched song to attract the females.
D) The females secrete pheromones to attract males.
E) They build elaborate nests.

Question 28

A bird flashing white patches underneath its wings is an example of what type of communication?

A) Chemical
B) Sound
C) Active visual
D) Physical contact
E) Passive visual

Question 29

Defense of an area that contains important resources for survival is termed

A) territoriality.
B) aggression.
C) passive behavior.
D) appeasement.
E) kinesis.

Question 30

A chemical produced by one animal that is usually only detectable by another animal of the same species is called a

A) neurotransmitter.
B) subliminal suggestion.
C) pheromone.
D) releaser.
E) hormone.

Question 31

An animal that effects changes to make itself look larger is exhibiting

A) a readiness to mate.
B) dominance in a social group.
C) a desire to fight.
D) an aggressive display.
E) a submissive posture.

Question 32

Chemicals produced by an individual that influence the behavior of members of the same species are called

A) steroids.
B) enzymes.
C) stimuli.
D) pheromones.
E) hormones.

Question 33

Two cats getting ready to fight puff up their fur to make themselves look larger. This is an example of

A) pheromones.
B) minimized competition.
C) altruism.
D) imprinting.
E) aggressive behavior.

Question 34

Female peafowl (peahens) prefer to breed with males (peacocks) that have the longest tails. However, the longer the peacock's tail, the less well he can fly and the more likely he is to be eaten by predators. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Both sexual selection and natural selection favor longer tails in peacocks.
B) Sexual selection favors shorter tails, but natural selection favors longer tails.
C) Both sexual selection and natural selection favor shorter tails in peacocks.
D) Sexual selection favors longer tails, but natural selection favors shorter tails.

Question 35

The dominant animal in a social hierarchy, such as a wolf pack, is called the

A) omega.
B) alpha.
C) king.
D) master.
E) leader.

Question 36

The shape, size, or color of an animal

A) relates to the pheromones the animal produces.
B) plays a role in active visual communication.
C) does not communicate information.
D) plays a role in passive visual communication.
E) is used to mark the boundaries of territories.

Question 37

Male bullfrogs produce loud calls during the mating season to attract females. The loudest males tend to mate with the most females. What can we reasonably conclude about this situation?

A) The louder a male's call, the lower his quality.
B) The louder a male's call, the higher his quality.
C) We cannot come to any conclusions based on the information given.
D) The loudness of a male's call is not a good predictor of his quality.

Question 38

The different calls of vervet monkeys indicate

A) the size of a territory.
B) the availability of water.
C) the types of predators detected.
D) the types of food available.
E) sexual differences.

Question 39

Aggressive encounters between individuals of the same species

A) are always a fight to the death.
B) usually include rituals or displays.
C) usually result in one of the individuals being injured.
D) do not occur in nature.
E) occur only when food supplies are low.

Question 40

To communicate across hundreds of miles, whales use

A) wave motions.
B) sight.
C) pheromones.
D) sound.
E) touch.

Question 41

Honeybees will sting a bear that is robbing their hive even though the bees will die after they sting the bear. This is an example of

A) submission.
B) altruism.
C) habituation.
D) conditioning.

Question 42

Complex societies involving a caste system, where individuals are born into a specific role, can be found among which of the following?

A) Birds
B) Amphibians
C) Insects
D) Reptiles
E) Fishes

Question 43

Trial- and- error learning can be important in the development of a behavior.

Question 44

Worker honeybees are

A) sterile females.
B) sterile males.
C) fertile males.
D) immature bees of either sex.
E) fertile females.

Question 45

Drones are male honeybees that

A) build the hexagonal cells of wax for the larvae.
B) forage for food.
C) mate with the queens.
D) feed the developing larvae.

Question 46

Smiling when happy seems to be an expression common to all human societies, suggesting that this behavior is probably

A) genetic in origin.
B) learned.
C) based on social standing.
D) altruistic.

Question 47

Pheromones have the ability to modify reproductive behaviors in some animals.

Question 48

When the back of a male stickleback turns blue, this signal is perceived by females

A) as an example of courtship behavior.
B) to delimit territory.
C) to describe the location of food.
D) to signal the beginning of the mating season.
E) to indicate danger to the school.

Question 49

Among social animals, cooperative behavior does NOT usually include

A) division of labor.
B) everybody doing their own thing.
C) a caste system in which individuals do certain jobs.
D) alliances among members of the population.
E) increased likelihood of finding mates.

Question 50

Foraging honeybees communicate the location of a source of food by

A) doing a specific waggle dance.
B) releasing pheromones.
C) creating noises with their wings.
D) flying around the location.
E) using a unique verbal language.

Question 51

Migration is an innate behavior among whooping cranes.

Question 52

Which of the following is a disadvantage for animals living in groups?

A) Reduced chance of finding a mate
B) Lower efficiency in finding food
C) Decreased risk of disease
D) Increased chance of being spotted by predators

Question 53

A learned behavior cannot be changed.

Question 54

Human facial expressions in response to various emotions

A) vary according to age.
B) vary according to race.
C) are remarkably similar among different cultures.
D) vary according to sex.
E) vary tremendously from culture to culture.

Question 55

When a 1- month- old baby is shown a piece of white paper with two dark, eye- sized spots, the baby will

A) smile.
B) vomit.
C) not respond to a stimulus of this nature.
D) exhibit avoidance actions.
E) exhibit fright.

Question 56

Kin selection refers to

A) deciding which related animals can live in the colony.
B) determining which related animals must live and which must die.
C) the selection of a mate.
D) an animal promoting the survival of the genes of its close relatives.
E) deciding which related animals can share the food.

Question 57

Behaviors result from an interaction between genes and environment.

Question 58

An animal can imprint only on members of its own species.

Question 59

A hungry newborn human infant, touched on the side of her mouth, will turn her head and attempt to suckle. This behavior is

A) innate.
B) not under genetic control.
C) nonadaptive.
D) learned.

Question 60

Which of the following illustrates altruism?

A) Males sing to attract females as mating partners.
B) Birds of a different species care for a cuckoo egg.
C) A mother bird pretends to be wounded to distract a predator away from her young.
D) Parent birds spend much of their time and energy feeding their young.
E) Parent birds clean out their nests.

Question 61

The head bobbing of lizards is a visual mating signal.

Question 62

Pheromones affect only the animal that produces them.

Question 63

A female dog in estrus attracts males with pheromones.

Question 64

The fur standing up along a dog's back when it confronts a strange dog is an example of visual communication.

Question 65

The pattern of flashes produced by fireflies is an example of visual communication.

Question 66

Only primates play.

Question 67

The queen in a naked mole rat colony is the only female allowed to breed.

Question 68

Territoriality increases aggression.

Question 69

The function of honeybee queens is to bring nectar back to the hive.

Question 70

In male bighorn sheep, the dominant male is usually the one with the largest horns.

Question 71

Dominance hierarchies minimize aggression in social animals.

Question 72

Living in a social group decreases the odds of finding a mate.

Question 73

Only primates have the ability to communicate by sound.

Question 74

Successful defense of territories increases the odds of mating success.

Question 75

The effectiveness of sound for communication is limited because only simple messages can be transmitted.

Question 76

Pheromones are species specific.

Question 77

Birds produce species- specific songs.

Question 78

Birds use vocal displays to defend their territories.

Question 79

Living in a social group increases the risk of contracting an infectious disease.

Question 80

Play inhibits normal behavioral development.