Animal Behaviour - Frustration And Emotional Conflict
Operant learning influences behaviour development by reinforcing actions that lead to desired outcomes. Behaviours that successfully avoid perceived threats or achieve rewards are more likely to be repeated, increasing their frequency over time.
How May operant learning affect development of a behaviour?
Behaviours successful at avoiding perceived threats
Behaviours successful at achieving perceived rewards
Both will increase frequency of behaviours
Key Terms
How May operant learning affect development of a behaviour?
Behaviours successful at avoiding perceived threats
Behaviours successful at achieving perceived rewards
Both will increase frequency o...
What three ways may behaviour develop?
Reinforcement of behaviours which achieve outcomes
Frustration when learnt behaviours no longer work
Conflicting emotions when behaviou...
What are “resources?”
Anything the animal needs or wants - maybe due to associated behaviour eg. Pick up slipper, get to play - doesn’t actually want slipper
Any b...
How may the value of a resource affect an animals behaviour?
Motivation to gain it
Anxiety about risk of losing it
What may affect the importance of a resource?
Learning about ease of acquiring said resource eg. Restricted food availability and competition etc
Learning about items that predict importa...
How does food related aggression in dogs begin?
Large litter of pups -> competition! aggression only response that works so transferred to human environment
Reinforced by owner response ...
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
How May operant learning affect development of a behaviour? | Behaviours successful at avoiding perceived threats Behaviours successful at achieving perceived rewards Both will increase frequency of behaviours |
What three ways may behaviour develop? | Reinforcement of behaviours which achieve outcomes Frustration when learnt behaviours no longer work Conflicting emotions when behaviour has unpredictable consequence |
What are “resources?” | Anything the animal needs or wants - maybe due to associated behaviour eg. Pick up slipper, get to play - doesn’t actually want slipper Any biological need - food /water/mating Social contact if species is social Hunger/sexual cycles may influence what is valuable |
How may the value of a resource affect an animals behaviour? | Motivation to gain it Anxiety about risk of losing it |
What may affect the importance of a resource? | Learning about ease of acquiring said resource eg. Restricted food availability and competition etc Learning about items that predict important events eg. Social contact owners do not realise how important their attention is |
How does food related aggression in dogs begin? | Large litter of pups -> competition! aggression only response that works so transferred to human environment Reinforced by owner response eg. Punishment for growling, taking food away when eating -> bad!! Will ^ anxiety massively |
What are attention seeking behaviours and why do they form? | Dog values human attention Learns behaviours that work to get attention (eg. Biting sleeves, stealing valuable items, jumping up) -> owners often respond to naughty behaviours and ignore calm behaviours |
Winch kind of behaviours are often reinforced - in what ways are they reinforced? | Avoidance response eg. Barking at postman - postman doesn’t come near Exploratory behaviour and reinforcement eg. Picking up stones |
How may inappropriate play develop and how can it be treated? | Not reinforced for playing with Own toys, only inappropriate ones |
How May food related aggression be treated? | Take bowl away, add value eg. Give chicken then return Only when dog is calm and not particularly hungry |
In what two ways may copraphagia develop? | Avoidance response due to punishment for toileting Normal exploratory behaviour reinforced by owners chasing etc Especially seen in pups raised in barren environment eg. Puppy farm May be a medical issue due to digestion problems |
When does frustration occur? | When OPERANTLY learned response no longer works |
What are two main causes of frustration? | Frustration of basic motivations eg. Accessing safe place or trying to chase rabbits but stopped from doing so Lack of control over access to important resources eg. Predatory behaviour |
What else, other than a valued resource or aversive event, may frustration be caused by? | Same theory but towards a stimulus that predicts the resource or aversive event |
What are common behavioural responses to frustration? | Increased intensity of behaviour “extinction burst” - will get worse before it gets better General increased activity Aggression (potentially redirected) Displacement activities (behaviours occurring out of context) |
How and why does redirected aggression occur in cats? | Frustration from another source taken out on another cat in the house Rapid escalation due to anxiety in the attacked cat and learnt behaviour that reduces frustration in the attacker |
What factors may predispose a cat to have reduced tolerance of frustration? | Genetics Early experience - Esp if hand reared as queen would normally teach them to be patient by not letting them finish feeding Age Stress (PFC responsible for behaviour inhibition is damaged by cortisol -> more impulsive behaviour ) Medical factors eg. Pain, hyperadrenocorticism (dogs) hyperthyroidism (cats) |
Which breeds are particularly predisposed to having low frustration tolerances? | Working cockers, bengals |
When does emotional conflict occour? | Situation where there is more than one emotion, generally opposite valence, directed towards single stimulus or context |
How does early learning impact on emotional conflict? | Puppy’s learnt consequences of social signals, BUT these are hard to predict in humans Outcome of behaviours may change for reasons a dog cannot understand eg. Different situation, different age (pup v adult) |
Why does deviation from expected outcome or response to behaviour cause problems? What emotion does it evoke? | Anxiety |
What behavioural signs are associated with emotional conflict? | Signs of frustration or anxiety More extreme displays of previously learnt behaviours Flipping between behavioural options eg. Approach and retreat, tail wagging and growling Showing displacement activities - new alternative response eg. spinning or licking in one place |
Which behaviours often evoke an emotional conflict? | Those which are initially reinforced and subsequently punished eg. mouthing, stealing items |
Outline the control of attention programme | Reinforce calm behaviours - call dog over for cuddle/game/training session; reinforce when playing on their own rather than “leaving them be” Do not reinforce attention seeking behaviours - ie. use thick sleeves, put dangerous items out of reach, plant non valuable items eg. tissues so that interacting doesn’t gain a response |