Educational Psychology / Unit 7 EDP 0608 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Instinct Theory
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The idea
Instinct theory, associated with William James, explains behavior as driven by instincts: unlearned, species-specific patterns of behavior.
In practice
A spider spinning a web without ever seeing one spun is instinctive behavior.
Where people slip
The theory faded because lists of instincts disagreed, and much behavior once called instinctive turned out to be learned.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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