Nature S01E11 · The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning

Overview

First there is a re-creation of Ivan Pavlov's experiments which led to the discovery of the "conditioned reflex." Then we see the investigation by Otto Pfungst of "Kluge Hans" (Clever Hans) a horse whose apparent knowledge of arithmetic was actually response to subtle signals from his trainer. We also see dramatizations of Thomdike's experiments with chicks, Watson's with terns, and B. F. Skinner's famed work at Harvard in the thirties.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. The Flight of the Condor: Ice, Wind, and Fire1982-10-10 · 53mFollowing the path of the condor, whose ten-foot wingspan enables it to soar effortlessly over the peaks of the Andes mountains, this film starts at the storm beaten rocks of Cape
2. 2 2. The Flight of the Condor: Ocean, Desert, and Thin Air1982-10-17 · 53mWhile the cold waters of the Pacific Coast of South America are among the richest in the world, the shore is the driest desert in the world. Yet it is not at all devoid of life. Li
3. 3 3. The Flight of the Condor: Down the Amazon1982-10-24 · 53mThe third part of the series is a spectacular visual trip down the fabled river. From the snow-clad summit of the volcano Cotopaxi and others comes the greatest river in the world
4. 4 4. Amate: The Great Fig Tree1982-10-31 · 53m
5. 5 5. Kopje: A Rock for All Seasons1982-11-07 · 53m
6. 6 6. On the Edge of Paradise1982-11-14 · 53mExamines the fragile ecology of the Caribbean area in a unique and vivid look at the forces affecting this area's ecological balance, such as hurricanes, volcanoes, the continuing
7. 7 7. Forest in the Clouds1982-11-21 · 53mSurveying Costa Rica's Monte Verde preserve, which contains some 200 varieties of trees, including 300-ft. oaks. Animal life includes deadly scorpions; army ants; and plumed quetza
8. 8 8. The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Natural Mysteries1982-11-28 · 53mThe first of the series takes us back to the 13th Century to explore medieval superstitions of ancient "naturalists." Frederick II of Hohenstaufen had a passion for falconry that r
9. 9 9. The Discovery of Animal Behavior: In Praise of God1982-12-05 · 53mTheologians and clerics in the 17th and 18th centuries were among the first to study animal behavior. John Ray began in the 1600's to catalog "the work of the Creation," starting w
10. 10 10. The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Search for the Mind1982-12-12 · 53mIn 1848, Charles Darwin began the quest to understand the mysteries of the animal mind. Following Darwin's achievement - suggesting a plausible process for evolution: natural selec
11. 11 11. The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning1982-12-19 · 53mFirst there is a re-creation of Ivan Pavlov's experiments which led to the discovery of the "conditioned reflex." Then we see the investigation by Otto Pfungst of "Kluge Hans" (Cle
12. 12 12. The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Signs and Signals1982-12-26 · 53mContinuing with the exploration of animal communication we see recreations of Karl von Frisch unraveling the language of honey bees. Julian Huxley, who discovered a possible langua
13. 13 13. The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Living Together1983-01-02 · 53mScientists have long attempted to discover why animals rarely live alone. Animal society seems to be based on despotic rule by the strongest, tempered by the powerful attractive fo