Nikolaas Tinbergen, often considered the "father of ethology," explored the conflict amongst the different levels of analysis of a system. Tinbergen (1963) breaks the exploration of animal behavior into proximate and ultimate causes. Since humans are animals, many of his cornerstones of ethology and sociobiology apply to us.
The four questions that must be asked are of causation, development, phylogeny (evolution), and adaptation. These four analytic levels lead to the existence of at least four answers to any question regarding a behavior or trait. Tinbergen stressed that an explanation at one level of analysis should complement rather than compete with theories at another level (Tinbergen, pp. 410-433).
When asking about causation you are questioning the mechanisms at play that are controlling how an organism's structures work. What are the stimuli that elicit the response, and how has it been modified by recent events? How do behavior and psyche function on the molecular, physiological, neurological, cognitive and social level, and what do the relations between the levels look like? Many of the physical sciences, namely neuroscience, hope their work leads to a full understanding of the biological processes underlying the actions of the body and brain. This mechanistic explanation of how an organism’s structures work is considered a proximate view because it is observing the current, static form of the trait (Tinbergen).
A structural explanation of how a certain behavior works is not enough to fully comprehend the behavior. Tinbergen (1963) explains ontogeny(development), phylogeny and adaptation must be explored when trying to understand behavior. Developmental questions of how the behavior changes with age and what early experiences are necessary for that behavior to be shown must be asked. Evolutionary questions such as how the trait has developed from its DNA coding to its current form must be grasped. Questions about adaptation including how recent learning has modified the trait must be addressed, as well.
Questions of development are particularly interesting when applied to the mind, intelligence and consciousness. For example, which environmental factors affect the development of awareness, thinking and consciousness? Additionally, how can intelligence be traced back phylogenically? An understanding of the structural and mechanistic processes associated with a behavior is necessary, but does not lead to a full understanding of a complex behavior such as intelligence. Often, a more dynamic view of the evolutionary changes in a species over many generations can help explain the origin of a specific trait or behavior (Tinbergen).
When asking about causation you are questioning the mechanisms at play that are controlling how an organism's structures work. What are the stimuli that elicit the response, and how has it been modified by recent events? How do behavior and psyche function on the molecular, physiological, neurological, cognitive and social level, and what do the relations between the levels look like? Many of the physical sciences, namely neuroscience, hope their work leads to a full understanding of the biological processes underlying the actions of the body and brain. This mechanistic explanation of how an organism’s structures work is considered a proximate view because it is observing the current, static form of the trait (Tinbergen).
A structural explanation of how a certain behavior works is not enough to fully comprehend the behavior. Tinbergen (1963) explains ontogeny(development), phylogeny and adaptation must be explored when trying to understand behavior. Developmental questions of how the behavior changes with age and what early experiences are necessary for that behavior to be shown must be asked. Evolutionary questions such as how the trait has developed from its DNA coding to its current form must be grasped. Questions about adaptation including how recent learning has modified the trait must be addressed, as well.
Questions of development are particularly interesting when applied to the mind, intelligence and consciousness. For example, which environmental factors affect the development of awareness, thinking and consciousness? Additionally, how can intelligence be traced back phylogenically? An understanding of the structural and mechanistic processes associated with a behavior is necessary, but does not lead to a full understanding of a complex behavior such as intelligence. Often, a more dynamic view of the evolutionary changes in a species over many generations can help explain the origin of a specific trait or behavior (Tinbergen).
A full understanding of both proximate and ultimate causes is necessary for a complete explanation of intelligence and consciousness.
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| Nikolaas Tinbergen (1973) |
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Refererence:
Tinbergen, N. (1963). On aims and methods of ethology. Journal of Animal Psychology. 36 University of Oxford. 20: 410-433.
Tinbergen, N. (1963). On aims and methods of ethology. Journal of Animal Psychology. 36 University of Oxford. 20: 410-433.
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