Instinct Unpacked: From Fixed Action Patterns to Human Nature

Science Corner dives into what 'instinct' really means, unpacking fixed action patterns, releasers, and the surprising ways instinct shapes behavior—from gray lag geese to brood parasitism. We explore how these inborn sequences can be rigid yet adaptive, and how tricks like supernormal stimuli reveal their vulnerabilities. Then we turn to humans: do we have instincts at all? We discuss the infant studies and cross-species comparisons scientists use to separate innate from learned behavior, and what play across species can tell us about biology’s imprint on behavior.

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