Post by Tamrin on Mar 14, 2012 5:55:19 GMT 10
From Wikipedia (introduction):
Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior.
The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a clearly defined stimulus.
Overview
Any behavior is instinctive if it is performed without being based upon prior experience, that is, in the absence of learning and is therefore an expression of innate biological factors. Sea turtles, newly hatched on a beach, will automatically move toward the ocean. A joey climbs into its mother's pouch upon being born. Honeybees communicate by dancing in the direction of a food source without formal instruction. Other examples include animal fighting, animal courtship behavior, internal escape functions, and building of nests. All of these are examples of complex behaviors and are thus substantially different from simple reflex behaviors. A formal definition of instinct is as follows: "An instinct is an inborn complex pattern of behavior that must exist in every member of the species and, because it is embedded in the genetic code, cannot be overcome by force of will. It should be distinguished from a reflex which is a simple response of an organism to a specific stimulus, such as the contraction of the pupil in response to bright light or the spasmodic movement of the lower leg when the knee is tapped. Instincts, in contrast, are complex sequential stimulus-response patterns; such behaviors are readily identified in non-human animals".
Many people remain in disbelief at the mention that human behavior is not instinctually driven. This is because it is impossible to deny the fact that humans are motivated by strong biological forces. These strong biological forces however are more properly referred to as drives. While instincts are inflexible, drives can take many forms and bend to human will. The human sex drive is the primary example. All humans have sexuality although it takes a wide variety of forms and some humans even abstain from sexual behavior altogether thereby exercising control over their sexuality. A secondary point of confusion is that the term instinct has entered into the popular vernacular as widely used metaphor to describe a gut feeling or intuition. In this case a scientific concept has become at the same time a literary trope and this semantic conflation is the source of much serious confusion. Another historical source of error derives from how the concept of instinct was popularized in the human sciences by Freud who in his original writings actually used the term trieb and not instinct. However, English translations of his works changed "trieb" to "instinct" thus popularizing a technical error in scientific discourse as well as popular perception.
Commonly cited examples of presumed instincts in humans are the "maternal instinct" and the "survival instinct". These examples however do not conform to the scientific definition of instinct. Many human females do not desire children and furthermore some mothers kill their own children. Similarly, many humans contradict their own survival through suicide and through other efforts at self destruction such as tobacco consumption and the self abusive consumption of unhealthy foods.
The role of instincts in determining the behavior of animals varies from species to species. The higher up the evolutionary ladder the greater is the role of the cerebral cortex and social learning and instincts play a lesser role. A comparison between a crocodile and an elephant illustrates how mammals for example are heavily dependent on social learning. Lionesses and chimpanzees raised in zoos away from their birth mothers most often reject their own offspring because they have not been taught the skills of mothering. Such is not the case with lower species such as reptiles.
The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a clearly defined stimulus.
Overview
Any behavior is instinctive if it is performed without being based upon prior experience, that is, in the absence of learning and is therefore an expression of innate biological factors. Sea turtles, newly hatched on a beach, will automatically move toward the ocean. A joey climbs into its mother's pouch upon being born. Honeybees communicate by dancing in the direction of a food source without formal instruction. Other examples include animal fighting, animal courtship behavior, internal escape functions, and building of nests. All of these are examples of complex behaviors and are thus substantially different from simple reflex behaviors. A formal definition of instinct is as follows: "An instinct is an inborn complex pattern of behavior that must exist in every member of the species and, because it is embedded in the genetic code, cannot be overcome by force of will. It should be distinguished from a reflex which is a simple response of an organism to a specific stimulus, such as the contraction of the pupil in response to bright light or the spasmodic movement of the lower leg when the knee is tapped. Instincts, in contrast, are complex sequential stimulus-response patterns; such behaviors are readily identified in non-human animals".
Many people remain in disbelief at the mention that human behavior is not instinctually driven. This is because it is impossible to deny the fact that humans are motivated by strong biological forces. These strong biological forces however are more properly referred to as drives. While instincts are inflexible, drives can take many forms and bend to human will. The human sex drive is the primary example. All humans have sexuality although it takes a wide variety of forms and some humans even abstain from sexual behavior altogether thereby exercising control over their sexuality. A secondary point of confusion is that the term instinct has entered into the popular vernacular as widely used metaphor to describe a gut feeling or intuition. In this case a scientific concept has become at the same time a literary trope and this semantic conflation is the source of much serious confusion. Another historical source of error derives from how the concept of instinct was popularized in the human sciences by Freud who in his original writings actually used the term trieb and not instinct. However, English translations of his works changed "trieb" to "instinct" thus popularizing a technical error in scientific discourse as well as popular perception.
Commonly cited examples of presumed instincts in humans are the "maternal instinct" and the "survival instinct". These examples however do not conform to the scientific definition of instinct. Many human females do not desire children and furthermore some mothers kill their own children. Similarly, many humans contradict their own survival through suicide and through other efforts at self destruction such as tobacco consumption and the self abusive consumption of unhealthy foods.
The role of instincts in determining the behavior of animals varies from species to species. The higher up the evolutionary ladder the greater is the role of the cerebral cortex and social learning and instincts play a lesser role. A comparison between a crocodile and an elephant illustrates how mammals for example are heavily dependent on social learning. Lionesses and chimpanzees raised in zoos away from their birth mothers most often reject their own offspring because they have not been taught the skills of mothering. Such is not the case with lower species such as reptiles.