Deck 25: Animal Behavior

Question 1

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

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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)pheromones
B)hormones
C)apomones
D)releasers

Answer 3

A

Question 4

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)habituation.
D)trial-and-error learning.
E)imprinting.

Question 5

B. F. Skinner is most closely associated with:

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

Question 6

Innate behavior is:

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

Question 7

A newly hatched duck adopts the first large, moving object it sees as its mother. This is an example of:

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

Question 8

Konrad Lorenz taught ducks to behave as though he were their mother by providing the appropriate stimulus during a sensitive period. This form of learning is called:

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

Question 9

During operant conditioning, an animal learns to:

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

Question 10

A(n)________ is a scientist who studies the natural behavior of animals.

A)ethologist
B)psychologist
C)naturalist
D)physiologist
E)sociologist

Question 11

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 12

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

Question 13

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 14

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

Question 15

An adaptive change in behavior that results from experience is called:

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

Question 16

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

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

Question 17

A child learns which foods taste good or bad through:

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

Question 18

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)trial-and-error learning.
E)innate behavior.

Question 19

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 20

Which communication method is most effective over short distances?

A)visual communication
B)vocalizations
C)pheromones
D)touch
E)dominance hierarchies

Question 21

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

A)alpha.
B)general.
C)king.
D)predator.
E)master.

Question 22

The different calls of vervet monkeys indicate:

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

Question 23

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

Question 24

The shape, size, or color of an animal:

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

Question 25

Male bullfrogs produce loud calls during the mating season to attract females. Most females prefer males that have the loudest calls. What can we reasonably conclude about this situation?

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

Question 26

An animal that effects changes to make himself look larger is exhibiting:

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

Bowerbirds build elaborate nests in order to:

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

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

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

A)eliminate competition
B)limit the size of the population
C)minimize aggression
D)increase competition
E)increase fighting among members of a population

Question 31

The greatest long-distance communication occurs among:

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

Question 32

To communicate across hundreds of miles whales use:

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

Question 33

A chemical produced by one animal that alters the physiological state of another animal of the same species is called a:

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

Question 34

How do silk moths attract mates?

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

Question 35

Aggressive encounters between individuals of the same species:

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

Question 36

Which of these is an example of a pheromone?

A)trail substances deposited by ants
B)the color of a peacock's tail
C)light emitted by fireflies
D)bird song
E)the moaning sounds of whales

Question 37

A bird flashing white patches underneath its wings is an example of ________ communication.

A)passive visual
B)active visual
C)chemical
D)sound
E)physical contact

Question 38

What is the advantage of play?

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

Question 39

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

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

Question 40

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

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

Question 41

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

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

Question 42

The waggle dance of honeybees is used:

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

Question 43

Foraging honeybees communicate the location of a source of food by:

A)leading other bees to the site.
B)releasing pheromones.
C)doing a specific waggle dance.
D)creating noises with their wings.
E)using a unique verbal language.

Question 44

Complex societies involving a caste system (humans excluded)are found among:

A)fishes.
B)insects.
C)amphibians.
D)birds.
E)reptiles.

Question 45

When a 2-month-old baby is shown a piece of white paper with two dark, eye-sized spots, the baby will:

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

Question 46

"Kin selection" refers to:

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

Question 47

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)habituation.
B)conditioning.
C)altruism.
D)territoriality.

Question 48

Male honeybees are called:

A)drones.
B)workers.
C)slaves.
D)waggles.

Question 49

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)altruistic.
D)based on social standing.

Question 50

Behaviors result from an interaction between genes and environment. True or False?

Question 51

Which of the following illustrates altruism?

A)Parent birds clean out their nest.
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)Males sing to attract females as mating partners.

Question 52

Once learned, behaviors cannot be changed. True or False?

Question 53

Studies of identical human twins have shown that:

A)they are no more alike than are fraternal twins.
B)they exhibit vastly different behavioral traits if raised in different environments.
C)their genes appear to have a great deal of influence on their behavior.
D)they do not live as long as fraternal twins live.
E)behavior does not depend on the types of genes present.

Question 54

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

A)lower efficiency in finding food
B)reduced chance of finding a mate
C)decreased risk of disease
D)increased chance of being spotted by predators

Question 55

Which of the following prevents worker bees from becoming queen bees?

A)Their diet during development lacks royal jelly.
B)The eggs that produce them are not fertilized.
C)Worker bees fail to maintain the larvae.
D)Their diet contains royal jelly.

Question 56

Worker honeybees are:

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

Question 57

An animal can imprint only on members of its own species. True or False?

Question 58

The queen of a naked mole rat colony maintain her status by:

A)producing more pups.
B)tunneling deeper than the other females.
C)secreting pheromones that prevent other females from ovulating.
D)being smaller than the other females.
E)aggressive behavior toward the rest of the colony.

Question 59

Human facial expressions in response to various emotions:

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

Question 60

What makes honeybees sterile?

A)working too vigorously
B)high heat in the hive
C)random mutations
D)the queen's sex pheromone
E)a diet of royal jelly

Question 61

Play inhibits normal behavioral development. True or False?

Question 62

Bird migration is an innate behavior. True or False?

Question 63

The effectiveness of sound for communication is limited because only simple messages can by transmitted and signals cannot be rapidly modified. True or False?

Question 64

Successful defense of territories increases the odds of mating success. True or False?

Question 65

Conditioning is based on trial-and-error learning. True or False?

Question 66

Birds use vocal displays to defend their territories. True or False?

Question 67

Living in a social group decreases the odds of finding a mate. True or False?

Question 68

The pattern of flashes produced by fireflies is species specific. True or False?

Question 69

A female dog in estrus attracts males with pheromones. True or False?

Question 70

Only primates play. True or False?

Question 71

Dominance hierarchies minimize aggression in social animals. True or False?

Question 72

Territoriality increases aggression. True or False?

Question 73

Pheromones are species specific. True or False?

Question 74

In male bighorn sheep, the dominant male is the one with the largest horns. True or False?

Question 75

Pheromones affect only the animal that produces them. True or False?

Question 76

Only primates have the ability to communicate by sound. True or False?

Question 77

The head bobbing of lizards is a visual mating signal. True or False?

Question 78

Pheromones have the ability to modify the reproductive physiology in some animals. True or False?

Question 79

Crickets produce species-specific songs. True or False?

Question 80

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