T "personality" Discussion

[Jared781]

ok.. Im aware of Ts having personalities, but to what degree?

 

[Aquacat]

In University I learned that animals do not have individual personalities, with the exception of the great apes, elephants, cetaceans etc. Rather they react differently to certain stimuli. I'm not sure if it can fully apply to arachnids, though.

 

[awolfe]

Yeah, I don't believe that hog wash. I believe animals do have personalities. I've witnessed way to many.

 

[Aquacat]

Yeah, I don't believe that hog wash. I believe animals do have personalities. I've witnessed way to many.

It's easy to anthropomorphize animals. My first time training a dolphin, he gave me the "smile" and I thought awwe, how cute. He then smacked me over the head with his flukes so hard I had to go to the hospital. I didn't know a dolphin smile was an aggressive gesture. Animals can have different personalities. I'm not saying they don't. The elephants I work with definitely have different personalities.

 

[Hobo]

To the degree of perhaps one individual preferring to burrow instead of being content to use a hide, or one who won't take roaches over twitchier prey like crickets.

Probably not to a degree of preferring one person over another, being "friendly" or anything complex like that.

In fact, I'd bet a lot of these differing personalities we see are just a result of small differences in environments and stimuli.

 

[Aquacat]

Sometimes we can be too quick to assign personalities and intelligence levels to animals. Hobo is exactly right.

 

[THECHAD]

I do think T's do have personalities I have a Rosea RCF that borrows and she also thinks she is a arboreal lol she is one crazy girl

 

[AlexRC]

My thoughts on it have pretty much been summed up by both Aquacat and Hobo. I do believe that they each have their own personalities but just to a certain degree, but then again I guess just that little difference that separates each from the other would be classified as a personality, as these preferences and/or reactions are "personal" to each.

 

[Formerphobe]

I don't think Ts have 'personalities' as we use the term to apply to humans. I have raised multiple slings from the same egg sacs and the individuals had slightly varying behavioral differences, different responses to stimuli, etc. But, not 'personalities' in the general use of the word.

 

[Simon83]

Rather they react differently to certain stimuli.

Isn't that essentially what personality is though?

Also, sorry to hear you ended up in hospital :-( apparently monkeys do the same as well, when they're 'smiling' it's actually aggressive.

 

[Aquacat]

Isn't that essentially what personality is though?

Not really. Personality is what makes up an individual's distinct character. If you applied what makes up a tarantula's personality, such as where they rest, when/what they eat etc, and applied it to a human being-would it still seem to fall under the category of personality? In the operant setting, many people do believe that arachnids do have different personalities. Some of my coworkers are convinced that even fish have different personalities. I don't even think that arachnids can be conditioned to react differently to certain stimuli. They can adjust, sure. From my knowledge, I do not think there's a chance that a spider has a personality. But some people do, and that's fine too.

 

[Projecht13]

I do think T's do have personalities I have a Rosea RCF that borrows and she also thinks she is a arboreal lol she is one crazy girl

that sounds more like environmental stimulus making her react that way. Very common of most T's

 

[Jared781]

Isn't that essentially what personality is though?

Also, sorry to hear you ended up in hospital :-( apparently monkeys do the same as well, when they're 'smiling' it's actually aggressive.

.. makes sense because i smile when im angry and happy obvisously

---------- Post added 03-07-2012 at 07:41 AM ----------

Good little discussion so far...

To me.. its a little half n' half! for every action, there's a reaction. Which in this case it's the Ts think, act, do (so to speak) right on the spot
Yet, i think "personality" is a little too complex when dealing with Ts... Im definitely with Hobo, and AC


What are your thoughts on:
Memory?


AND: to what extent?

 

[Simon83]

Not really. Personality is what makes up an individual's distinct character. If you applied what makes up a tarantula's personality, such as where they rest, when/what they eat etc, and applied it to a human being-would it still seem to fall under the category of personality? In the operant setting, many people do believe that arachnids do have different personalities. Some of my coworkers are convinced that even fish have different personalities. I don't even think that arachnids can be conditioned to react differently to certain stimuli. They can adjust, sure. From my knowledge, I do not think there's a chance that a spider has a personality. But some people do, and that's fine too.

Well I just see humans personality as reaction to stimuli, just on a more advanced level. I'm not for a minute comparing a t's 'personality' to that of an animal or human...if a t does have a personality it would be on an extremely basic level.

 

[BenjaminBoa]

T's don't have personalities or moods, they're like fleshy robots. The only difference is how reactive they are to stimuli, and they might be able to learn to some small degree like, oh this person is okay, or every time this cage gets open I get bothered. They only know how to perpetuate their own survival. Each T is more or less reactive to certain things than others but saying personality is going too far, take a theories of personality class, personality goes a lot deeper than "I'm happier than the person next to me." It is very deep and T's are not capable of that as far as I know, people just like to be able to relate to things. Pretty soon people are going to be saying germs and viri have personalities just because one wasn't quite as aggressive attaching to the host cell as the one next to it. >_>

 

[jayefbe]

What are your thoughts on:
Memory?


AND: to what extent?

There was literally just a thread on tarantula memory. To reiterate what I already said in that thread, my definition of memory requires the encoding, storing and retrieval of information. Tarantulas, in my educated opinion, are capable of none of those things. They react to external stimuli, and may become habituated to certain stimuli in certain instances such that their reactions are no longer the same (I'm not even sure to what extent that is even possible). That is not the same as encoding, storing and retrieving information. It's a shift in neurological response that occurs in the absence of conscious thought.

Also, they don't have personalities. There might be slight differences in how individual tarantulas will respond to stimuli, but that is not personality. It's very difficult not to anthropomorphize these animals, and even those of us that realize the propensity for it will commit it without realizing it, or for simplicity in communication. In those cases, the wording should not be taken literally.

 

[mark e sic]

T's don't have personalities or moods, they're like fleshy robots. The only difference is how reactive they are to stimuli, and they might be able to learn to some small degree like, oh this person is okay, or every time this cage gets open I get bothered. They only know how to perpetuate their own survival. Each T is more or less reactive to certain things than others but saying personality is going too far, take a theories of personality class, personality goes a lot deeper than "I'm happier than the person next to me." It is very deep and T's are not capable of that as far as I know, people just like to be able to relate to things. Pretty soon people are going to be saying germs and viri have personalities just because one wasn't quite as aggressive attaching to the host cell as the one next to it. >_>

i agree with this. humans just like to personify tarantulas and pets to better relate to them. like "ohh my T looks so happy in its new enclosure i just bought it"

 

[1hughjazzspider]

There was literally just a thread on tarantula memory.

He just keeps posting and asking questions like that just so people will respond to him. All he wants is attention.

 

[grayzone]

and to add to a post count perhaps... still good reads though... nothin on these forums are NEW to me. im sure just about anything that you can find on here right now can also be found using the search function... after the last thread the op started i realized why bother gettin irritated. IT ACTUALLY DID END UP TEACHIN ME SOMETHIN NEW (KINDA)

 

[Aquacat]

Well I just see humans personality as reaction to stimuli, just on a more advanced level. I'm not for a minute comparing a t's 'personality' to that of an animal or human...if a t does have a personality it would be on an extremely basic level.

Whether you believe in nature or nurture-Instinct and personality are different things. I doubt any T makes a conscious decision-they react off instinct.