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Date November 2019 Marks available 1 Reference code 19N.3.HL.TZ0.7
Level Higher level Paper Paper 3 Time zone TZ0 / no time zone
Command term Describe Question number 7 Adapted from N/A

Question

Many animals have a unique technique for courting their mate. The male peacocks (Pavo cristatus) spread their brightly-coloured tails to impress the females (peahens).

[Source: cocoparisienne/Pixabay]

Courtship behaviour leads to mate selection. Describe innate behaviour.

[1]
a.

Explain the implications of courtship behaviour in natural selection.

[3]
b.

Outline operant conditioning, giving an example.

[2]
c.

Markscheme

a. innate behavior is independent of environment ✔

b. innate behaviour is controlled by genes/inherited ✔

c. innate behaviour is present at birth OWTTE
OR
doesn't change through time/experience ✔

a.

a. «courtship behaviour» is inherited/innate
OR
variations exist ✔ OWTTE

b. fittest animals have the best courtship behaviour ✔

c. «courtship behaviour» allows members of a species to identify each other
OR
«courtship behaviour» results in mate selection ✔ OWTTE

d. «courtship behaviour» increases chances of mating/reproductive success ✔

e. «courtship behaviour» also make organisms more vulnerable to predation ✔

f. «allows» best courtship to be passed on to the next generation/offspring ✔

b.

a. when an animal learns to associate a reward with a certain kind of behaviour OWTTE
OR
trial and error learning
OR
positive reinforcement
OR
associative learning ✔

b. example: animal training ✔

c.

Examiners report

[N/A]
a.
[N/A]
b.
[N/A]
c.

Syllabus sections

Option A: Neurobiology and behaviour » Option A: Neurobiology and behaviour (Additional higher level topics) » A.6 Ethology
Option A: Neurobiology and behaviour » Option A: Neurobiology and behaviour (Additional higher level topics)
Option A: Neurobiology and behaviour

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