You Observe Scrub Jays Hiding Food and Notice That One

question 55

Multiple Choice

You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only pretends to hide food. Your experiments associate the presence of other scrub jays with the frequency of pretending to cache food. A colleague shows you groups of scrub jays that do not engage in pretend caching. Considering this new information, which of the following is the best hypothesis?

• A) Pretending to hide food is learned.
• B) The other scrub jays lost this behavior.
• C) This was innate behavior in this one scrub jay.
• D) This scrub jay learned this behavior from its parents.

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Definitions:

Free Nerve Ending

Sensory receptors found throughout the body that respond to pain, temperature, and touch.

Odorant Molecules

Chemical particles capable of being detected by the sensory neurons in the nose, leading to the perception of smell.

Mucous

A slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes, typically serving to protect and lubricate surfaces.

Thalamus

A structure in the brain that acts as a principal hub for processing and relaying sensory information to the appropriate areas of the cortex.