The Foundations of Ethology

Contents......Page 14
Foreword......Page 9
Preface......Page 13
Introductory History ......Page 19
Part One Methodology ......Page 31
1. The Differences Between the Goals of Physical and Biological Research......Page 32
2. The Limits of Reduction......Page 34
3. Ontological Reductionism......Page 36
4. The Evolutionary Event as a Limitation of Reduction......Page 39
5. The Question "What For?"......Page 40
6. Teleological and Causal Views of Nature......Page 49
1. The Concept of a System or an Entirety......Page 53
2. The Sequence of Cognitive Steps Dictated by the Character of Systems......Page 55
3. The Cognitive Capacity of Perception......Page 57
4. So-Called Amateurism......Page 63
5. Observing Animals in the Wild and in Captivity......Page 64
6. Observing Tame Animals Not Kept Captive......Page 68
7. Knowing Animals: A Methodological Sine Qua Non......Page 69
8. The Non-Obtrusive Experiment......Page 70
9. The Deprivation Experiment......Page 74
10. The Relatively Entirety-Independent Component......Page 81
1. Atomism......Page 83
2. Explanatory Monism......Page 84
3. Operationalism and Explanatory Monism of the Behaviorist School......Page 85
1. Reconstruction of Genealogies......Page 89
2. Criteria of Taxa......Page 91
4. Documentation Through Fossils......Page 98
5. Homology and Its Criteria......Page 102
6. The Number of Characteristics as a Criterion of Homology......Page 104
7. Convergent Adaptation......Page 105
8. Analogy as a Source of Knowledge......Page 106
10. Systematics and the Need for Great Numbers of Characteristics......Page 110
11. The Changing Value of Single Characteristics......Page 113
12. The Difficulties and the Importance of "Microsystematics"......Page 115
13. The Origin of Ethology......Page 117
14. Chapter Summary......Page 118
Part Two Genetically Programmed Behavior ......Page 121
1. History of the Concept......Page 122
2. Differences in Intensity......Page 125
3. Qualitatively Identical Excitation Activating Different Motor Patterns......Page 127
4. Unity of Motivation......Page 128
5. The Method of Dual Quantification......Page 130
6. Action-Specific Fatigue......Page 133
7. Threshold Lowering of Releasing Stimuli......Page 138
8. Effects Obscuring the Accumulation of Action-Specific Excitability......Page 140
9. Vacuum Activity......Page 142
10. Appetitive Behavior......Page 144
11. Threshold Lowering and Appetitive Behavior in Avoidance......Page 145
12. Driving and Being Driven......Page 148
13. Neurophysiology of Spontaneity......Page 151
14. Analogies of Function in Neural Elements and Integrated Systems......Page 158
15. Chapter Summary......Page 159
1. The Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM)......Page 164
2. Limits to the Functions of IRMs......Page 173
3. IRM and the Releaser......Page 177
4. An Important Rule of Thumb......Page 181
5. IRMs Rendered More Selective by Learning......Page 184
2. Stable and Spontaneously Active Nervous Elements......Page 187
3. Analogous Phenomena in Integrated Neural Systems......Page 190
4. Action-Specific Potential (ASP)......Page 195
1. Appetitive Behavior Directed at Quiescence......Page 200
2. Searching Automatism......Page 202
3. Hierarchical Systems......Page 204
4. The Relative Hierarchy of Moods......Page 213
5. The Locus of "Superior Command" (Übergeordnete Kommandostelle)......Page 215
1. The Danger of Naming Instincts by Their Functions......Page 222
2. The Multiplicity of Motivations......Page 223
3. Integrating Effect of the Instinct Hierarchy......Page 226
4. Interaction Between Motor Patterns......Page 227
5. Motor Patterns Not Specific to the System......Page 228
6. Chapter Summary......Page 230
1. Receiving Information Does Not Always Mean Learning......Page 232
2. The Regulating Cycle or Homeostasis......Page 233
4. Amoeboid Response......Page 234
6. Phobic Response......Page 236
7. Topical Response or Taxis......Page 238
8. Telotaxis or "Fixating"......Page 240
9. Temporal Orientation......Page 242
10. Navigation by Sextant and Chronometer......Page 244
11. Taxis and the Fixed Motor Pattern......Page 246
12. Taxis and Insight......Page 248
1. The Rarity of Unmixed Motivation......Page 253
2. Superposition......Page 254
3. Mutual Inhibition and Alternation......Page 256
4. Displacement Activities......Page 260
Part Three Adaptive Modification of Behavior ......Page 265
1. Modification and Adaptive Modification......Page 266
2. Analogous Processes in Embryogenesis......Page 267
3. Learning as an Adaptive Modification......Page 268
1. Facilitation and Sensitization......Page 272
2. Habituation or Stimulus Adaptation......Page 274
1. Association......Page 277
2. Habituation Linked with Association......Page 278
3. "Becoming Accustomed" or Habit Formation......Page 281
4. The Conditioned Reflex Proper or Conditioning with Stimulus Selection ......Page 285
5. Avoidance Responses Acquired Through Trauma......Page 287
6. Imprinting......Page 288
7. Conditioned Inhibition......Page 293
8. Chapter Summary......Page 295
1. The New Feedback......Page 298
2. Minimum Complication of the System......Page 302
3. Conditioned Appetitive Behavior......Page 304
4. Conditioned Aversion......Page 309
5. Conditioned Action......Page 312
6. Conditioned Appetitive Behavior Directed at Quiescence......Page 315
7. Operant Conditioning (In the Sense Here Advocated)......Page 318
8. Chapter Summary......Page 321
1. Motor Learning......Page 324
2. So-Called Voluntary Movement......Page 328
3. Voluntary Movement and Insight......Page 332
1. Choice of Behavior Patterns......Page 334
2. The Autonomous Motivation of Exploratory Behavior......Page 335
3. Latent Knowledge......Page 336
5. Specialization for Versatility......Page 337
6. Play......Page 338
7. Curiosity, Play, Research, and Art......Page 342
Afterword to Part Three ......Page 345
2. On Analogies ......Page 347
3. The Difference of Homo sapiens ......Page 348
4. Conceptual Thought and Syntactic Language ......Page 351
5. Consequences ......Page 352
6. Cultural Ethology ......Page 353
References ......Page 356
Index ......Page 372