Practice question · Put in order
Order the causal chain of a Fixed Action Pattern, from trigger to completion.
- The behavioral sequence runs to completion, ballistically.
- It finishes even if the triggering stimulus has since disappeared.
- The IRM unleashes the matching fixed action pattern.
- A sign stimulus (releaser) appears in the environment.
- The Innate Releasing Mechanism detects that specific feature.
Hints
- Something must be DETECTED before the pattern can be released - which structure does the detecting?
- The defining feature comes last: once started, the sequence ignores later changes and runs to the end.
Show the answer
- A sign stimulus (releaser) appears in the environment.
- The Innate Releasing Mechanism detects that specific feature.
- The IRM unleashes the matching fixed action pattern.
- The behavioral sequence runs to completion, ballistically.
- It finishes even if the triggering stimulus has since disappeared.
Why
A sign stimulus is detected by the IRM, which releases the FAP, and the sequence then runs to completion regardless of later change. The ballistic, cannot-be-stopped ending is exactly what defines a FAP.
Practise Fixed Action Patterns
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More questions on Fixed Action Patterns
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