A common misconception is that only vertebrates have the ability to learn, and that it is an indication of intelligence. This is far from the truth, as many invertebrates such as octopi, bees, crustaceans, spiders and ants have displayed components of learning within their behaviour. In fact, even the simplest of animals such as anemones have exhibited forms of ‘learning’.
LEARNED
BEHAVIOUR
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HABITUATION
The gradual fading of a response is called habituation. This usually occurs when a stimulus proves to be safe or irrelevant. Today a new scarecrow will frighten birds away from crops; tomorrow they will get used to it being there (habituation) and will no longer display the frightened behaviour. People living next to a fire station or train line soon get used to the sound and don’t even ‘hear’ the bells or sounds after long. Another example is that fish in aquariums get frightened and swim away when the glass is tapped- but if the tapping is repeated, they will soon ignore it entirely. The advantage of habituation is that an animal does not waste time and energy by reacting defensively to a stimulus- when there is actually no danger. In the case of a fright or accident, such as almost being in a car accident, we become more aware of our surrounding stimuli for a short period. Slowly however, we become habituated again, filtering out much of the surrounding stimuli.
OBSERVATIONAL
When strange food is placed in front of a group of rats, it is likely that the first rat will try the food and the others will observe the reaction. If the first rat eats it, then it is expected that the rest of the group will too. However this also applies to if the rat walks away after sniffing the food- in which case the other rats will probably not eat it. This is a classic example of observational learning, which is generally exemplified in higher vertebrates such as birds and mammals. Just like in humans, observational learning is often most gained from parents and peers- and is a way for cultural information to be passed down individuals to generations.
he second type of behaviour is
learned behaviour. Behaviours often have a significant component that is ‘learned’. Learned behaviour is the modification of a behaviour based on previous experience. For this reason memory and thus neuronal organization is important for learning to occur. The major advantage of learned behaviour over innate is that it allows for a degree of flexibility, meaning that an animal can change it’s behaviours through experiencing prior events and also in response to unpredictable changes in it’s surroundings. The ability to modify behaviour and react appropriately in the face of unpredictable situations is of an immeasurable advantage to the animal.
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