Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Task: You will be observing the elusive species Homo sapiens in its natural
environment (the lunch room). The male and female of the species will be studied.
You must document at least one example for each of the terms listed below. Be as
detailed as possible in your descriptions and draw a picture if necessary. You may use
your notes to get a definition of the terms, and additional paper may be needed for
your observations. Document every note clearly and in an organized manner to help
with the ease of analyzing your data. Remember: Do not disturb or interact with the
organisms you are observing as this might compromise your data.
Question: What are the behaviors of the species Homo sapiens?
Types of behavior
Independent Variable: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Observations and examples
Dependent Variable: _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Environment, high school students
Controls: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Data:
If you are unable to make an observation for a behavior, then record an observation
that you think would fit for that behavior. Be sure to make a note that it was not
directly observed.
Behaviors
Fixed Action
Patterns
Observations
Anytime the subject appears to come in
contact with a friend, the specimen raises
its eyebrows as a sort of greeting. This
happens no matter who the person is.
Sign stimulus
For the "eyebrow flash" fixed action pattern,
the subject's sign stimulus is making eye
contact with a peer.
Kinesis
Taxis
Signals
Communication
Subject spotted peer, initiated the "eyebrow
flash" and the proceeded to run and hug the
peer.
Courtship
behaviors
Innate behavior
Habituation
Subject does not notice the sound of the rest
of the lunchroom while he eats.
Spatial learning
Classical
conditioning
Operant
conditioning
Cognition /
Problem solving
Foraging
Dominance
hierarchy
The subjects are watched over by the elders in
the school.
Sexual
dimorphism
(Sexual
selection)
Agonistic
behavior
(Territoriality)
Altruism
Subject took the trays for his whole table knowing
it would be heavy
Social learning
Two males cooperated to make the female feel
uncomfortable. They have learned that this
situation causes laughter
Animals always have a reason for doing someone they do. Whether it be
for survival or because of a stimulus. Also I learned that animal behavior is
predictable.
The most common behavior I observed was spatial learning. The subjects
were always keeping track of where they were sitting at.