TPO 17 - Question 4

A sample Answer to this speaking in text:

In the lecture, the professor talks about ritualization which means some animal behaviors changes over time, a behavior that had practical purpose can develop into something that can deliver a specific message. And she talks about why dogs show their teeth to warn others. In the very beginning, the purpose of this action was very simple, dogs would bare their teeth so they won’t bite their own lips when engaging in a fight. Over time, other animals have learned that lip-baring means that the dog is ready to attack. And that led the dog to realize that by simply showing it’s teeth, other animals will back off, it’s learned that it did not have to actually attack to get the same results. That’s how dogs begin to use this behavior as a warning signal.

1. Let's start with an example you may be familiar with.
2. What's one thing dogs typically do when they feel threatened, when they want to protect themselves?
3. That's right.
4. They show their teeth and when we see this, we know this behavior mean basically stay away.
5. Now, here is how this behavior became a recognizable warning.
6. A long time ago, a dog sensing danger would get ready to bite whatever animal was threatening him.
7. It started by baring its teeth.
8. But the purpose of doing this was something very simple; the dog instinctively was making sure it wouldn't bite its own lips when it bit the other animals.
9. Ok?
10. But what happened?
11. Other dogs, other animals, over time, they learned that this teeth bearing always came before a dog was going to bite.
12. And so they started to read it as a signal to be careful, to keep away or risk getting bitten.
13. This scenario repeated time after time also led to the dog's awareness that by simply showing its teeth, a lot of the time that was protection enough.
14. What had been a simple physical preparation to bite had developed into a kind of defense mechanism in and of itself.
15. The dog learnt it did not need to actually attack but could get the right result from just communicating the possibility of an attack through showing its teeth.
16. It started to use this behavior as a warning signal.