AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A fixed action pattern is a predictable series of actions triggered by a cue, sometimes called the key stimulus. Though a fixed action pattern is more complex than a reflex, it’s still automatic and involuntary. Once triggered, it will go on to completion, even if the key stimulus is removed in the meantime.

Detailed explanation-2: -A fixed action pattern is an ethological term describing an instinctive behavioral sequence that is highly stereotyped and species-characteristic. Fixed action patterns are said to be produced by the innate releasing mechanism, a “hard-wired” neural network, in response to a sign/key stimulus or releaser.

Detailed explanation-3: -A Fixed Action Pattern, often abbreviated as FAP and known alternatively as Instinctive Movement or Instinct Bewegung, is a predictable series and stereotypical sequences of complex actions triggered by a cue. Konrad Lorenz and Tinbergen first brought the idea of the Fixed Action Pattern to light in the late 1930s.

Detailed explanation-4: -However, one could argue that culture has developed its own version of fixed-action-patterns. For example, when one enters an elevator, he or she will almost inevitably turn and face the doors. Or, when a guest is invited in to someone’s home, the host will almost always offer some sort of beverage.