DAT Bootcamp Animal Behavior Practice Exam

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• In kinesis, how does an animal's movement change in a favorable environment?
• Distinguish habituation from sensitization.
• Which form of animal behavior involves sacrifices an animal makes for the benefit of its relatives?
• Which of the following is a cue used by animals for navigation and migration?
• Imprinting is best described as what?
• A behavior performed by an animal without prior learning, often present at birth, is called?
• Which pairing correctly matches a modality with its example?
• Which term refers to the initial phase of learning in classical conditioning, where the association between CS and US is established?
• In classical conditioning, the learned response to the conditioned stimulus is called
• Which statement about territorial defense and fitness is correct?
• Which statement best describes kin selection and inclusive fitness?
• Describe the role of dominance hierarchies in animal societies and give an example.
• Which learning process involves forming an association between a neutral stimulus and a meaningful stimulus, causing a conditioned response (for example, salivation to a bell)?
• Optimal foraging theory predicts that animals maximize net energy gained per unit time by balancing search, handling, and travel costs.
• Which of the following is an innate way in which animals learn behaviors?
• Which statement correctly describes a Batesian vs Müllerian mimicry example?
• Which statement best differentiates innate (instinctive) behavior from learned behavior?
• Lek mating involves which description?
• In the same scenario, which element becomes the conditioned stimulus after conditioning?
• In animal communication, what is the difference between a signal and ambient environmental noise, and how might receivers discern signals?
• Which statement correctly distinguishes circadian rhythms from circannual rhythms?
• Which term describes animals that do not care for their young for an extended amount of time?
• Which migratory cue relies on Earth's magnetic field (magnetoreception)?
• Which mating system is characterized by long-term pairing and biparental care?
• Releasers are stimuli that initiate which of the following innate behaviors?
• Migration is an example of which innate behavior?
• Which statement about imprinting is FALSE?
• In a classic conditioning scenario with a bell and food, which element serves as the unconditioned stimulus?
• Which brain structure processes fear and threat assessment?
• Which of the following is an example of a circadian rhythm besides the sleep-wake cycle?
• Which learning process strengthens or weakens a behavior based on consequences that follow the behavior?
• Which reproductive pattern involves multiple reproductive events across a lifetime?
• Which form of animal behavior often results in both parties sustaining damage?
• Which of the following is NOT considered to be a common form of learning?
• What triggers aggression and what factors influence it?
• Which migratory cue uses the night sky for orientation?
• What is an ethogram used for in behavior research?
• What is territoriality and why do animals defend territories?
• Which reinforcement schedule typically produces high, steady response rates and high resistance to extinction?
• Which factors commonly trigger migratory behavior and how do endogenous clocks influence migration?
• What is a major function of pheromones in insect colonies?
• Provide an example of habituation to a predator cue and describe its potential costs and benefits.
• Which of the following is NOT an example of an innate behavior?
• Zeitgebers such as light have what effect on circadian rhythms?
• What does the Marginal Value Theorem predict about when to leave a food patch?
• A trainer claps when feeding; children clap to gain animals' attention; the animals learn to ignore the latter. Which term describes this learning?
• In foraging ecology, what does prey choice weigh?
• How do genetics and environment interact to shape behavior?
• Direct fitness refers to passing genes through one's own offspring. What term describes passing genes through relatives' offspring?
• Play behavior is proposed to serve which functions?
• What is imprinting, and what is meant by a critical period?
• Which term refers to an animal's ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other similar, non-conditioned stimuli?
• Imprinting occurs during a critical period and leads to long-lasting attachments.
• Which of the following is an innate way in which animals learn behaviors?
• What is a fixed action pattern (FAP), and what is a classic example in birds?
• Which of the following is an example of Müllerian mimicry?
• Explain chemical communication in insects and colony effects.
• In the obligate symbiosis between termites and gut microbes, which social behavior ensures transfer of microbes between individuals?
• Summarize the basic premise of optimal foraging theory.
• What is a circadian rhythm and what is a zeitgeber? Include an example.
• Which migratory cue includes recognition of geographic features or scent cues for navigation?
• What is Hamilton's rule and its significance?
• Which statement is true about observational learning?
• What term describes the component that translates a sign stimulus into the fixed action pattern's motor sequence?
• Which statement best distinguishes kinesis from taxis?
• What information is encoded by the duration of the waggle phase in a honeybee's waggle dance?
• Which term describes a non-directional movement response where the animal changes speed in response to a stimulus rather than moving toward or away from it?
• How do standardized observation methods influence behavior studies?
• What refers to the concept of forgetting a learned behavior?
• Which species groups are cited as examples of socially learned traditions due to social learning and imitation?
• Which of Tinbergen's four questions are proximate explanations, and which are ultimate explanations?
• Which description best captures stimulus discrimination?
• A loud clap startles an animal, but it is not associated with any danger. Over time, the animal begins responding less to the clapping sounds. What is this an example of?
• In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus is paired with what kind of stimulus?
• Compare precocial and altricial offspring in terms of parental care.
• What is a search image in foraging ecology?
• Which option best describes a fixed action pattern?
• Which factor acts as a zeitgeber to reset circadian rhythms?
• What is shaping in operant conditioning, and when is it especially useful?
• Which brain structure is known for supporting spatial and contextual memory?
• Naked mole rats live underground in colonies with a dominant female and nonbreeding individuals. This behavioral group best resembles which of the following?
• Insect societies with a single reproducing female and nonreproductive workers describe which animal behavioral group?
• What are potential benefits and costs of maintaining a dominance hierarchy?
• Which concept explains altruistic behavior toward relatives due to genetic relatedness?
• Which term describes the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period and reexposure to the conditioned stimulus?
• What term describes a non-random change in direction or speed in response to a stimulus?
• In classical conditioning, the stimulus that naturally elicits a response before learning is called the
• Intersexual selection is primarily driven by mate choice by the opposite sex. Which option best illustrates this?
• What term describes increased responsiveness to a stimulus with repeated exposure?
• What is an ethological approach to studying behavior, and how does it differ from a purely lab-based approach?
• After successful classical conditioning, the originally neutral stimulus becomes a what?
• Describe acoustic communication with a clear example.
• Which statement best describes proximate vs ultimate causation in behavior?
• Fixed action patterns are described as which of the following?
• Define insight learning and name the psychologist most associated with demonstrations.
• Which sensory modality is primarily involved in pheromone-based communication in insects?
• Which form of learning involves forming associations between a neutral stimulus and a meaningful stimulus?
• How do honeybees communicate the location of distant food sources, and what information is encoded?
• How does positive reinforcement increase a certain behavior?
• Observational learning can occur without direct reinforcement by watching others. Which option illustrates this?
• What is the function of a courtship display?
• Which term describes an inborn behavior that manifests without prior learning?
• Which form of animal social behavior involves individuals working together to achieve a goal?
• Which term describes an innate, stereotyped sequence of movements triggered by a specific external stimulus?
• Which statement best defines a variable-interval reinforcement schedule?
• Spiders spin webs to catch prey without being taught. What term best describes this behavior?
• What does the Handicap Principle state about the reliability of signals in animal communication?
• Risk-sensitive foraging describes adjustments to foraging strategy based on what?
• Which process describes the decrease of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus?
• What are the costs and benefits of alarm calls in social species?
• Which two hormones are most associated with social bonding and parental care?
• Which statement best explains aposematic coloration in predators?
• Which form of sexual selection might involve males growing stronger muscles?
• Melatonin signaling of night length is coordinated with which environmental cue?
• How do begging signals influence parental investment?
• How does observational learning differ from trial-and-error learning, and which famous demonstration illustrates observational learning in humans?
• Which term refers to how an animal's inclusive fitness is increased by indirect fitness?
• Which of the following best describes the consequence of a stable dominance hierarchy?
• What is a primary consequence of social learning and imitation in animals?
• According to parental investment theory, what guides mating decisions?
• In Tinbergen's four questions, which explanations focus on how a behavior develops and is produced?
• Differentiate classical conditioning from operant conditioning with a concise example for each.
• What are pheromones and how are they detected in mammals?
• When observing animal behavior in the wild, which bias-minimizing practices are recommended?
• Kin selection explains altruistic behavior where individuals help relatives to ensure the transfer of shared genes. Which concept describes this idea?
• Which option best illustrates a chemical signal in animal communication?
• The marginal value theorem predicts when to leave a depleted patch.
• What is the basic role of the vomeronasal organ in social and reproductive behaviors?
• Which option is not a typical component of classical conditioning?
• Promiscuity and pair bonds differ in parental care and mating opportunities. Which statement correctly matches each?
• What is observational learning and which researcher is closely associated with it?
• Which researcher is associated with insight learning in animals, and what does the term imply?
• What do visual signals convey and what limits them?
• Which description best contrasts habituation, sensitization, and desensitization?
• Life-history pattern where an organism reproduces only once in its lifetime is called?
• In a variable-interval reinforcement schedule, reinforcement occurs after varying time intervals, producing a steady, moderate response rate.
• What is an ethogram and why is it essential for behavioral quantification?
• Which form of animal movement is associated with randomness?
• Describe dominance hierarchies and their ecological benefits.
• Spontaneous recovery describes what phenomenon?
• What does the handicap principle in sexual selection propose?
• Elephants reproduce multiple times during their lives but typically give birth to a single calf each time. This is an example of which life-history pattern?
• Explain latent learning and provide a concise example.
• Which pair correctly describes obligate vs facultative symbiosis in animals?
• If a dog bitten by one specific spider now avoids all spiders, this illustrates which behavioral phenomenon?
• Which statement best differentiates reflexes from instincts?
• A newborn greylag goose follows the first moving object it encounters after birth. This behavior is known as?
• What is the selfish herd concept?
• Which mating system is characterized by one mate per breeding season with potential biparental care?
• Define extinction and spontaneous recovery in the context of learning.
• Which reinforcement schedule delivers reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses?
• Which behavior describes defending a resource or territory by display and patrol?
• What is an ethogram and how is it used in describing behavior?
• A hyena repeatedly issues false warning calls to its clan until the clan stops responding. What type of learning has occurred?
• A large group of cockroaches in a dark room randomly scatter until they settle under furniture when a light is turned on. Which best describes this movement?
• In the bell-food example, which response is the unconditioned response?
• What is the conditioned response in the bell-food conditioning example?
• What is the term for when a conditioned animal responds to a stimulus that is not identical to the original conditioned stimulus?
• Classical conditioning converts a neutral stimulus into a what type of stimulus?
• In classical conditioning, what is the unconditioned stimulus?
• Domestication has changed the behavior and social organization of dogs relative to wolves. Which statement is accurate?
• What is one potential consequence of chronically elevated cortisol on health?
• Which life history term describes animals that reproduce only once and then die?
• Which term refers to the passing of genetic information to the next generation through an individual's own offspring?
• Which statement accurately describes proximate triggers and hormonal influences on mating behavior?
• Which of the following describes facultative symbiosis exemplified by ants and aphids?
• Which group typically invests a lot of energy in the mating process?
• How is detection efficiency for prey characteristics improved?
• Which statement accurately describes simple and complex reflexes?
• Define negative reinforcement and negative punishment, and provide an example of each.
• What does patch quality refer to in foraging decisions?
• How does negative punishment decrease a certain behavior?
• How do animals typically navigate using cues?
• How do classical conditioning and operant conditioning differ?
• Which term refers to behaviors animals use to protect their habitat?
• Which nonhuman species has shown evidence of learning by observing conspecifics, indicating observational learning in animals?
• Which term best describes a genetically inherited sequence of actions that, once triggered, runs to completion?
• In a dominance hierarchy, which statement is true about resource access?
• Which statement best describes the roles of testosterone, estrogen, vasopressin, and oxytocin in social behavior?
• An ornithologist hears a bird song in a forest. The song is often associated with which behavior?
• Once an animal is classically conditioned, what will the animal experience in response to a conditioned stimulus?
• What is an advantage of fixed action patterns?
• Tool use in animals, such as crows using sticks to extract insects, suggests what about animal cognition?
• Which statement best describes latent learning?
• What form of sexual selection is exemplified by male peacocks evolving to have larger and more colorful feathers?
• Define altruism and explain how inclusive fitness accounts for altruistic behaviors.
• If a response to a repeated exposure to a stimulus increases rather than decreases, this process is called ?
• Identify the canonical sign stimulus example in a non-avian species that triggers a fixed action pattern.
• Which form of reproduction typically occurs in dependable environments?
• Explain the concept of a supernormal stimulus and provide an animal example.
• Which scenario best illustrates higher-order conditioning?
• Male bighorn mountain sheep have large spiraled horns, while females have much smaller horns. Which term describes this phenomenon?
• Which statement correctly describes zeitgebers?
• Insight learning is defined as problem-solving through understanding relationships rather than trial-and-error; e.g., a primate solving a problem by manipulating objects to obtain food.
• Which term refers to the phenomenon where males and females evolve to become less similar in appearance over time?
• In parental investment theory, which sex tends to be choosier?
• Which statement accurately describes monogamy in mating systems?
• Define positive reinforcement and provide a veterinary-relevant example.
• Which statement best defines a pheromone and distinguishes releaser pheromones from primer pheromones?
• What are flies being attracted to light sources an example of?
• Which form of social behavior is defined as individuals working together to achieve a goal, often benefiting all participants?
• Play behavior is especially common in which life stage?
• In Pavlovian conditioning, a neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus. Which term describes this new cue?
• What best describes the time at which imprinting can occur in animals?
• Which term refers to animals that mate multiple times during their life and produce few offspring per mating event?
• Which term describes learning based on reinforcement and punishment?
• Imprinting leads to lasting social attachments and recognition due to what mechanism?
• Role of cortisol in stress responses. Which option best describes its role and potential effects of chronic elevation?
• What term describes an increase in a behavioral response when the stimulus eliciting the behavior occurs more often?
• List and briefly describe the four major reinforcement schedules and provide a brief example for each.
• An example of promiscuous mating with variable parental care is seen in which group?
• Which of the following is not a factor influencing aggression according to the material?
• Observational learning is the process of acquiring new behavior by watching others. Which example illustrates this?
• How does imprinting differ between precocial and altricial species and what are the implications for social attachment?
• What best describes a central pattern generator?
• Distinguish generalization from discrimination in a learning context.
• Which option correctly identifies the neutral stimulus in the original conditioning before any learning has taken place?
• Which type of reflex utilizes interneurons?
• How do aposematic coloration and mimicry differ in their signaling function?
• Which phenomenon occurs when prior learning blocks the acquisition of a new association?
• Which scenario best illustrates generalization?
• Altruism in animals and an example.
• Which of the following describes behaviors that are usually carried out to completion regardless of the circumstance?
• Latent learning differs from trial-and-error learning in that latent learning is demonstrated only when motivation arises, while trial-and-error learning relies on reinforcement to shape behavior.
• Explain the concept of a sign stimulus and its role in triggering fixed action patterns.
• Which example best illustrates a fixed action pattern?
• What is the primary role of a central pattern generator in behavior?
• Give an example illustrating proximate causation versus ultimate causation in animal behavior.
• A dog shakes its paw and receives a treat. This is an example of which learning process?
• In the marginal value theorem, what two factors are balanced when foraging decisions are made?
• Imprinting involves what neural and developmental process?
• Which trait is an example of neoteny observed in domesticated dogs relative to wolves?
• Which term describes animals that mate only once in their lifetime?
• Which migratory cue uses the sun to determine direction during the day?
• What describes a fixed-action pattern and its trigger?
• Instincts are generally triggered by sign stimuli and are shaped by evolution. Which option best describes this concept?
• In polygyny, what is a common ecological driver?
• A common female preference in birds related to sexual selection is what?
• What is the role of melatonin in circadian rhythms?