P. Bateson

Perspectives in Ethology (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

In the early days of ethology, most of the major developments were in the realm of ideas and in the framework in which animal behavior was studied. Much of the evidence was anecdotal, much of the thinking intuitive. As the subject developed, theories had to be tested, language had to become more public than it had been, and quantitative descriptions had to replace the preliminary qualitative accounts. That is the way a science develops; hard headed analysis follows soft-headed synthesis. There are limits, though, to the usefulness of this trend. The requirement to be quantitative can mean that easy measures are chosen at the expense of representing the complexly patterned nature of a phenomenon. All too easily the process of data collec tion becomes a trivial exercise in describing the obvious or the irrelevant. Editors and their referees require authors to maintain high standards of evidence and avoid undue speculation-in short, to maintain professional respectability. In the main, this process is admirable and necessary, but somewhere along the line perspective is lost and a body of knowledge, with all the preconceptions and intellectual baggage that comes with it, becomes formally established. New ideas are treated as though they were subversive agents-as indeed they often are.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer US
• Seitenzahl: 336
• Erscheinungstermin: 29. Juni 2013
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781461575696
• Artikelnr.: 44053384

Inhaltsangabe

1 Natural Responses to Scheduled Rewards.- I. Abstract.- II. The Quest for Reinforcement.- III. The Ant in a Maze.- IV. Reward Is Circular.- V. Reward Is Relative.- VI. Reward Is Reversible.- VII. Reward Is Displaceable.- VIII. Arbitrary Operants or Directed Respondents.- IX. The Coping Organism and the Artificial Niche.- X. Needs, Receptors, and Neural Circuits.- XI. Summing Up: The Organism-Information Approach.- XII. References.- 2 Imitation: A Review and Critique.- I. Abstract.- II. Introduction.- III. History.- IV. Current Status.- V. Conclusions.- VI. Acknowledgments.- VII. References.- 3 Behavioral Aspects of Predation.- I. Abstract.- II. Introduction.- III. Experimental Component Analysis.- IV. Searching Images.- V. Hunting by Expectation.- VI. Search Paths.- VII. "Niche" Hunting and Profitability.- VIII. Optimization Models of Predator Behavior.- IX. General Conclusions and Summary.- X. Acknowledgments.- XI. References.- 4 Orientation of Birds by Geomagnetic Field.- I. Abstract.- II. Introduction.- III. The Geomagnetic Field.- IV. Magnetic Field Perception.- V. Conclusion.- VI. Acknowledgments.- VII. Appendix I.- VIII. Appendix II.- IX. Appendix III.- X. References.- 5 Describing Sequences of Behavior.- I. Abstract.- II. Introduction.- III. Sequences Within the Individual.- IV. Sequences of Interaction Between Individuals.- V. Discussion.- VI. Acknowledgments.- VII. References.- 6 Specific and Nonspecific Factors in the Causation of Behavior.- I. Abstract.- II. Introduction.- III. Models and Operations: Aspects of Classification and Analysis of Behavioral Control Systems.- IV. Integrative Specificity Literature: An Overview.- V. Displacement Activities: A Case Study.- VI. Synopsis and Extrapolation: A "Boundary-State" Approach.- VII. Résumé.- VIII.Acknowledgments.- IX. References.- 7 Social Displays and the Recognition of Individuals.- I. Abstract.- II. Introduction.- III. Observing Social Behavior.- IV. Social Behavior of Individual Animals.- V. Social Structures in Groups of Individuals.- VI. Differentiation of Relationships Between Individuals.- VII. Methods Available for Studying Social Differentiation.- VIII. Conclusions.- IX. Acknowledgments.- X. References.- 8 Does the Holistic Study of Behavior Have a Future?.- I. Introduction.- II. The Phenomena: The Morning Song of the Swainson's Thrush.- III. The Phenomena: Diagonal or Rhomboidal Patterning in Other Taxa.- IV. The Interpretation of Orderly Patterning.- VI. Perceptual Gating Arrays and the Concept of Distributed Control.- VII. ... But Is It Art?.- VIII. References.