the ethological explanation

• What does FAPs stand for?

  Fixed action patterns
• What are fixed action patterns (FAPs)?

  Innate behaviors shared by species members
• Do all aggressive behaviors involve fighting?

  No, they can include threat displays
• What are threat displays?

  Ritualized behaviors that do not require learning
• Why are FAPs important in aggression?

  They help assess relative strength before conflict
• What triggers the production of FAPs?

  A sign stimulus
• What is the role of the innate releasing mechanism (IRM)?

  It activates motor control circuits for FAPs
• What does IRM stand for?

  Innate releasing mechanisms
• How does the IRM receive input?

  From sensory recognition circuits
• What does the hydraulic model describe?

  Each FAP has a reservoir of energy
• What happens when the appropriate sign stimulus is present?

  The IRM releases energy for FAPs
• What do natural weapons in species like wolves allow them to do?

  Be effective hunters
• What do inhibitions in aggressive behavior prevent?

  Using weapons against their own species
• How do non-hunting species like doves interact with innate factors?

  They have not developed the same inhibitions
• What term has replaced 'fixed action pattern'?

  Behavior pattern
• What did Lovenz believe about aggressive behavior patterns?

  They can be modified by experience
• What implications did Lovenz's comparison have for humans?

  Humans are more like doves than wolves
• What does Eibl-Eibesfeldt suggest about FAPs in modern humans?

  They are no longer adaptive
• Why might FAPs not be adaptive in modern terms?

  Because the environment changes rapidly