Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is thought to be a behavior that is innate. This is because the behavior is very stereotypic, as it begins in response to a cue and is then carried out to completion without the need of additional sensory feedback other than the initial stimulus. Several good examples were brought up in article by Blumberg and Wasserman. For example, egg-rolling behavior in geese, cavity inspection in digger wasp, and camouflage in assassin bugs. Your textbook mentions others such as, yawning, smiling, frowning, and the raised-eyebrow greeting in humans, grooming in mice, and wing-flapping in chickens.
We can generally represent the sequence of events as shown below, keeping in mind that modulation or gating of the response can occur at any stage:
Stimulus -> activation of sensory receptors -> input pathways -> CNS -> output pathways -> action
Your goal is to choose an example of a FAP from the animal kingdom and evaluate the current research on whether it is truly innate or whether learning plays a role in its establishment.
For this paper, you will need to first develop a thesis (an analytical question, opinion, or argument) on whether you think the your chosen FAP is innate or learned during pre- or post-natal development.
In the first part of your paper, include a clear descriiption of the neural circuit underlying the behavior, and address the following questions related to its discovery:
What were the experimenters’ predictions?
How did they test those predictions?
What were their results?
What did they conclude from their results?
Do you agree with their conclusions? Why or why not?
In the second part of your paper, discuss current research/opinion on whether the FAP is innate or learned. Make sure you provide enough evidence to support your thesis and discount the alternative. For example, you may want to discuss: the selective pressures that might have shaped the evolution or development of the FAP, evaluate whether the behavior is in fact adaptive, and discuss any theories for how changes in the neural circuit came about.
Your sources should consist of at least 3 peer-reviewed journal articles, with at least one being a research paper. Internet references will not be accepted.
Your paper should be written in APA format and be 4-6 pages in length.
Make sure you cite your work proper and acknowledge the use of AI. Failure to do so, will result in a zero on the assignment.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.