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?

Accepted Answer

Ballooning in spiders is considered a behavior because it is an internally coordinated response to external conditions, specifically moderate winds. The spiders actively climb and release silk to catch the wind, demonstrating an internally coordinated activity pattern that is externally visible and occurs in response to changing conditions. Choices B, C, D, and E suggest reasons it might not be considered a behavior, but these are incorrect because behaviors can be internally coordinated, externally visible, responsive to conditions, and vary among individuals within a species.

Question 2

Which of the following correctly defines animal behavior?

Accepted Answer

Animal behavior is defined as any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing internal or external conditions. This encompasses a wide range of actions and reactions animals exhibit in response to their environment or physiological state.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

An ethogram is a catalog or table of all the different kinds of behavior or activity observed in an animal. It typically includes descriptions of common physical behaviors such as sleeping, feeding, and fighting but does not include physiological measures like hormone profiles.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

An ethogram is a catalog or table of all the different kinds of behavior or activity observed in an animal. It typically includes descriptions of specific behaviors such as eating habits, grooming, aggression, and communication methods. It does not include physiological measures like hormone levels, which are not behaviors but rather internal biological states. Therefore, the level of estrogen throughout the day would not be included in an ethogram.

Question 5

Ethograms allow a researcher to calculate which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Ethograms, which are catalogs or tables of behaviors exhibited by an animal used in ethology studies, allow researchers to observe and record the frequency and duration of various behaviors. By doing so, they can calculate a time budget, which is an allocation of time among different activities, such as feeding, sleeping, and grooming. This tool does not directly measure fitness, adaptive behavior, selection on a behavior, or density-dependent selection on a behavior, although observations from ethograms can contribute to studies on these topics.

Question 6

An ethogram

Accepted Answer

An ethogram is a catalogue or inventory of all the discrete, defined behaviors exhibited by an animal, often used in behavioral studies to systematically record and analyze animal behavior.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Causality, while often a goal or consideration in scientific research, is not a formal part of the scientific process like forming a research question, making predictions, stating assumptions, or developing hypotheses. The scientific process primarily involves identifying a question or problem, formulating a hypothesis, making predictions based on that hypothesis, and then testing through experimentation or observation. Causality refers to the relationship between cause and effect and is something that may be investigated or inferred within the context of scientific research, but it is not a procedural step like the others listed.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

B) A controlled experiment that varies density and records aggression directly tests the hypothesis by manipulating the independent variable (density) and measuring the effect on the dependent variable (aggression), allowing for a clear assessment of causality.

Question 9

Which of the following is in correct temporal sequence?

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence for conducting research typically starts with formulating a research question, followed by developing a research hypothesis based on the question. Next, predictions are made based on the hypothesis, and finally, tests or experiments are conducted to see if the predictions hold true.

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:

Accepted Answer

The researcher expected hoverflies to prefer white flowers, but the results showed no preference, which is considered a negative result as it does not support the initial hypothesis.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

Anthropomorphic thinking often attributes human characteristics to animals or objects, which can lead to speculative and untestable hypotheses about behavior. This approach can hinder scientific understanding because it does not necessarily produce hypotheses that can be empirically tested or falsified.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

The alternate hypothesis proposes a specific relationship or difference, and option B directly suggests a difference in learning rates between juvenile and adult fish, fitting the criteria for an alternate hypothesis.

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The larvae of stream caddisflies graze on...

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism focuses on the study of observable behavior, emphasizing that behavior can be researched scientifically without recourse to inner mental states or consciousness.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism focuses on studying observable behaviors and their responses to different stimuli, which aligns with the description of examining stimulus-response behavior in pigeons.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

Niko Tinbergen formalized the distinction between proximate and ultimate explanations of behavior, contributing significantly to the field of ethology and our understanding of animal behavior.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

Niko Tinbergen is primarily known as an ethologist, focusing on the study of animal behavior in natural environments, rather than a comparative psychologist.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

Karl von Frisch, Niko Tinbergen, and Konrad Lorenz were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1973 for their pioneering work in ethology, the study of animal behavior. Their research significantly advanced the understanding of how animals perceive and interact with their environments, laying the groundwork for the modern field of behavioral biology.

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:

Accepted Answer

This study provides an ultimate explanation of territorial behavior by linking the size of the territory defended to the fitness of the individuals, suggesting that defending a territory of a certain size is an adaptive behavior that has evolved because it increases reproductive success or survival.

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?

Accepted Answer

This work is a proximate explanation of behavior because it focuses on the immediate physiological mechanisms (in this case, testosterone levels) that lead to a specific behavior (aggression).

Quiz 1: The Science of Animal Behavior

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?

Which of the following correctly defines animal behavior?

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

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

Ethograms allow a researcher to calculate which of the following?

An ethogram

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

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

Which of the following is in correct temporal sequence?

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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: