Innate Releasing Mechanisms + Fixed Action Patterns

• Lorenz argues that animals have an innate releasing mechanism, which is a built-in physiological process or structure (eg. a network of neurons in the brain) which generates aggressive behaviour.
• An environmental stimulus (such as a facial expression or a specific colour/shape of a rival triggers the innate releasing mechanism, which communicates with the motor circuit to release a specific sequence of aggressive behaviour (a fixed action pattern).
• Fixed action patterns can be characterised by five main features: stereotyped, universal, unaffected by learning, ballistic, single purpose.
• Stereotyped - the behaviour always occurs in the same way.
• Universal - the behaviour is shown in all members of the species.
• Unaffected by learning - the behaviour is the same for everyone, regardless of experience and learning.
• Ballistic - once the behaviour is started, it can't be stopped
• Single purpose - the behaviour only occurs in specific situations and not in any other ones.