A spider will spin the same web no matter where it is located. This is not a learned behavior, but a
genetically–programmed behavior. It is instinct.
The study of behavior and its relationship to its evolutionary origins is called ethology.
Foremost in the field of ethology are three scientists who shared the Nobel Prize in 1973: Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, and Niko Tinbergen. Karl Von Frisch is known for his extensive studies of honeybee communication and his famous description of the waggle dance in bees. Niko Tinbergen is known for his elucidation of the fixed action pattern. Konrad Lorenz is famous for his work with imprinting. Here are some basics concepts in the field of animal behavior.
- Fixed action patterns
- Imprinting
Imprinting in young geese
Imprinting describes any kind of phase–sensitive learning (learning occurring at a particular age
or a particular life stage) that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behavior.
Fixed action patterns: A type of behavior studied extensively by the ethologists is the fixed action pattern (FAP), a sequence of unlearned behavioral acts that is essentially unchangeable and, once initiated, is usually carried to completion. A FAP is triggered by an external sensory stimulus known as a sign stimulus.
Imprinting: Another phenomenon studied by the classical ethologists is imprinting, a type of behavior that includes both learning and innate components and is generally irreversible. Imprinting is distinguished from other types of learning by having a sensitive period, a limited phase in an animal–s development that is the only time when certain behaviors can be learned. An example of imprinting is young geese following their mother.
In species that provide parental care, parent–offspring bonding is a critical part of the life cycle. During the period of bonding, the young imprint on their parent and learn the basic behaviors of their species, while the parent learns to recognize its offspring. Among gulls (type of birds), for instance, the sensitive period for parental bonding on young lasts one to two days. If bonding does not occur, the parent will not initiate care of the infant, leading to certain death for the offspring and a decrease in reproductive success for the parent.