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Period: 100,000 BCE to
Early Behaviors
Prior to in-depth studies, people would present the behavior of animals through detailed paintings. -
Period: to
Behavioral Neuroscience
This is the study of the biology of behavior and humans in humans and animals. This typically examines the brain's neurotransmission and the psychological events associated with psychological events. Dr. Kolb is one of the founders of behavioral neuroscience as well as Rene Descartes. -
Period: to
George Romanes
George Romanes formalized the use of the comparative method. He would study/compare the behavior of two organisms that are not taxonomically related to gain insights into the evolution of emotional states. -
Period: to
Observational Method
Lloyd Morgan developed the observational method in response to other scientists like Romanes. He argued one must use direct experimentation and observation. he suggested this rather than the use of poetic inference to make generalizations and create theories. -
Darwin Publishes On the Origin of Species
In On the Origins of Species, Darwin establishes that the main cause of diversification in nature is due to evolutionary descent with modifications. Darwin was also one of the main scientists to try to prove and establish natural selection. -
Period: to
Classical Conditioning
Psychologist Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov showed that dogs will salivate at the sound of a bell when they thought that there would be food. Food is the unconditioned stimulus and salivation is the unconditioned response. This is because it is a natural stimulus and a natural response. Pavlov would sound a bell before giving the food thus the bell became a conditioned response and eventually salivation became the conditioned response. The dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell without having food -
Period: to
Four Major Groups
There were four major experimental approaches to studying the behavior of animals. These are comparative psychology, ethology, behavioral psychology, and sociobiology. -
Period: to
Behavioral Ecology
Studies ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior. This is primarily concerned with evolutionary consequences. Researchers also aim to find the phylogenetic contingencies within behavior. Some associated scientists are Krebs and Davies. -
Sociobiology
This theory was mainly developed by E.O. Wilson. This theory makes descriptions of social groups of animals in their natural habitats. They then relate these observation to evolutionary theories. -
Period: to
Evolutionary Psychology
This tries to explain useful mental and psychological traits, these include memory, perception, and language, as the functional products of natural selection.