Animal behavior, mostly controlled by the central brain, has been studied in natural environments and laboratory settings. In early 20th century, researchers behavior to reveal how it is built from components organized over time response stimuli. settings, study ability of brain generate behaviors rewards punishments. However, there are limitations quantifying animal these two approaches. Recen...

The problem considered in this chapter is how to use the observed behavior of organisms as a basis for machine learning. The proposed approach for machine learning combines near sets and ethology. It leads to novel forms of Q-learning algorithm that have practical applications in the controlling the behavior of machines, which learn to adapt to changing environments. Both traditional and new fo...

Of the various disciplines within the animal sciences, the issue of animal welfare has been most closely associated with ethology, the study of animal behavior. Prior to the modern welfare movement, applied ethology was primarily involved in studies on feeding and reproductive behavior. The emphasis on freedom of movement and mental experiences in animal welfare resulted in the field of applied...

What does it mean to be “human”? The question, though it has occupied some of the greatest Western minds of philosophy, science, history, and political theory, could not have been answered with any plausibility until recently, for we have only begin to acquire the scientific knowledge necessary to provide an informed response. At the same time, recent scientific and technological developments h...

Ethology is the science of studying the behavior of animals in their natural environment. While much attcntion has been paid in robotics to neuroscientific models of behavior (e.g., [1,17]), less attention has been paid to realistic ethological models other than in simulated studies. It is our contention that ethology provides great insights into the design of practical robotic systems. In this...

This article discusses Bowlby's development of an ethological-evolutionary perspective, and its implications for psychotherapy with adults. According to Bowlby, attachment behavior is instinctive, having emerged throughout the course of evolution to ensure protection and actual survival. Because the environment affects how attachment behavior unfolds, adverse experiences can divert developmenta...

According to modern animal welfare legislation, animals should be protected from suffering and lasting harm not for the benefit of us humans as in earlier anthropocentric conceptions, but in their own interest. The driving force behind animal protection is our empathy with animals which triggers feelings of compassion. Empathy with animals most likely is a psychological side-effect of adaptive ...

This book comprises four volumes, roughly dealing with the four main problems in animal behaviour, namely the causation, development, function and evolution of behaviour. The way in which these four topics were assigned to the different volumes is pragmatic, and there is bound to be some overlap. Nevertheless, we feel that the division of the study of animal behaviour into these four questions,...

This article addresses the question of mental states in animals as viewed in 'cognitive ethology'. In effect, this field of research aims at studying naturally occurring behaviours such as food caching, individual recognition, imitation, tool use and communication in wild animals, in order to seek for evidence of mental experiences, self-awareness and intentionality. Cognitive ethologists use s...