Determinants Of Animal Behaviour (routledge Modular Psychology)

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E-Book Overview

Are animals intelligent? How do they learn to solve everyday survival problems? Can they be intentionally deceptive? The investigation of animal behaviour is an important and fascinating aspect of comparative psychology. Determinants of Animal Behaviour thoroughly covers the section on determinants of animal behaviour in the AQA (A) comparative psychology module and deals with the three main topics featured in the syllabus. Firstly the evolutionary explanations of animal behaviour are discussed, including the biological explanations of apparent altruism. Secondly the nature of classical and operant conditioning in animal behaviour is considered and finally the role of social learning in animals is investigated. Real life examples are used throughout the book to illustrate the arguments presented.Determinants of Animal Behaviour is an ideal introductory text to the subject, full of real life examples and both traditional and cutting-edge research. It will be of interest to all students new to comparative psychology and highly accessible to anyone wishing to know more about the diversity and ingenuity of animal behaviour.

E-Book Content

Determinants of Animal Behaviour Are animals intelligent? How do they learn to solve everyday survival problems? Can they be intentionally deceptive? The investigation of animal intelligence and behaviour is an important and fascinating aspect of comparative psychology. This book thoroughly covers the section on determinants of animal behaviour in the AQA(A) comparative psychology module and deals with the three main topics featured in the syllabus. First, the evolutionary explanations of animal behaviour are discussed, including the biological explanations of apparent altruism. Second, the nature of classical and operant conditioning in animal behaviour is considered. Finally, the role of social learning in animals is investigated. Determinants of Animal Behaviour is an ideal introductory text to the subject, full of real-life examples and both traditional and cutting-edge research. It will be of interest to all students new to comparative psychology and highly accessible to anyone wishing to know more about the diversity and ingenuity of animal behaviour. Jo-Anne Cartwright is an experienced A-Level teacher and examiner for the AQA examination board. Routledge Modular Psychology Series editors: Cara Flanagan is a Reviser for AS and A2 level Psychology and is an experienced author and teacher. Philip Banyard is Associate Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University and a Chief Examiner for AS and A2 level Psychology. Both are experienced writers. The Routledge Modular Psychology series is a completely new approach to introductory level psychology, tailor-made to the new modular style of teaching. Each short book covers a topic in more detail than any large textbook can, allowing teacher and student to select material exactly to suit any particular course or project. The books have been written especially for those students new to higher-level study, whether at school, college or university. They include specially designed features to help with technique, such as a model essay at an average level with an examiner’s comments to show how extra marks can be gained. The authors are all examiners and teachers at the introductory level. The Routledge Modular Psychology texts are all user-friendly and accessible and include the following features: • practice essays with specialist commentary to show how to achieve a higher grade • chapter summaries to assist with revision • progress and review exercises • glossary of key terms • summaries of key research • further reading to stimulate ongoing study and research • cross-referencing to other books in the series Determinants of Animal Behaviour Jo-Anne Cartwright First published 2002 by Routledge 27