Learned and Inherited Behaviors
Behavior
 Activity or action, in
response to changes in
environment, that helps
an organism survive.
Learned Behaviors
 Some animal behaviors result from
direct observations or experiences
Imprinting
 Behavior where newborn animals recognize and
follow the first moving object they see.
 Usually, this moving object is the mother.
 Imprinting behavior cannot be reversed.
Conditioning
 Behavior where animals
learn that a certain
stimulus and its response
to that stimulus will lead
to a good or bad result.
 Includes trial-and-error
learning
Examples of Conditioning
 Chimpanzees learn to
use small sticks to dig
in soil for insects
 A child learns
touching a hot object
will cause pain.
Inherited behaviors
 Some animal behaviors are passed from
parent to offspring and are with animal
from birth. These are also called instincts.
Examples of instincts:
 Ability to swim is an inherited behavior for
whales and fish.
 Baby sea turtles making way to the ocean
Examples of instincts:
 Crying in babies is an
inherited behavior that is
often a response to
hunger, thirst, or
sleepiness.
Examples of instincts:
 Snails digging a hole to lay its eggs
 Bird builds a special kind of nest
 Fiddler crabs waving claws to attract females
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