The perception of the surrounding environment occurs through weak or powerful signals that are picked up by our body, to be translated into information. These messages can be processed into behavioral and / or physiological responses, which the individual uses to survive. Not everything we know is taught to us, indeed, there are behaviors that manifest themselves from birth. These, together with the learned behaviors, help the body to live and thrive.
Don’t stop learning: it is your concern to increase what you know. Wisdom is rarely given by old age. (Cato the Censor)
Definition of innate behavior
An innate behavior , by definition, is any behavior that occurs spontaneously, that is, without direct or indirect teaching. These innate (or instinctive ) actions are passed down from generation to generation genetically, and are generally unaffected by experience.
Definition of learned behavior
A learned behavior is a behavior that is acquired by the individual thanks to his experiences, and does not depend on genetic factors.
Examples of innate behaviors
Let’s think about our newborn puppies. Their shrill moans convey a specific message, namely “I need something” . The child’s cries are purely instinctive, and do not require learning.
In the world there are people who love or hate children, in practice those still in infants. All these people are united, however, by a strong discomfort when they hear a child cry, and this is given by another instinctive response, that of caring for the child . In summary, the puppy from the first moments of life emits vocalizations that are perceived by the mother, or by other individuals. These instinctively feel uncomfortable and take care of the little one. This intimate bond is seen in many animal species, mammals and more, particularly in those where sociality plays a well-rooted role.
The red spot on the beak of the herring gull (Larus Michahellis) triggers an instinctive behavior (key stimulus). Chicks, without any learning, peck at this red spot to request food. This behavior was studied by Niko Timbergen
A curious case, studied by Ferrero and colleagues (2011) , is that of the detection of predators by rodents. This recognition mechanism would be to attribute to innate responses, through the reception of volatile compounds. Close your eyelids when something nearby passes your eyes? It is an innate protective behavior ! However, many innate behaviors can be “modified” and managed through individual experience.
Examples of learned behaviors
Surely this type of behavior is more familiar to us. The behaviors learned are formed over the course of life and respond to certain individual experiences and environmental variations.
Very particular is the custom of washing food in some animals, especially in primates. In 1979 Lyall Watson claimed to have observed on the island of Koshima a group of Macaca fuscata intent on a very unusual behavior. The group used to wash the sweet potatoes before eating them! Here we will not talk about the curious “hundredth monkey effect”. However, this behavior was also observed in other primates that were not physically connected with that particular group. This action must have been handed down from generation to generation through a teaching of practice within the group, and its acquisition would derive from learning by imitation and / or by trial and error.
Some individuals may learn, over the course of their life, behaviors or practices that very often increase their survival. These behaviors are passed on through teaching, and not genetically.
Fear has an instinctive component and one that is formed through the experience of the individual. It is fear that allows different organisms of living beings to survive and avoid their predators. But how do you tell a new predator from a harmless creature? The example is provided by those birds who love to peck the seeds of our gardens. It is now traditional to plant a scarecrow, or noisy and fluttering objects, to keep birds away from our gardens. This ploy can only work if you change your “terror” tool from time to time.
Otherwise we could observe the following sequence:
- The birds are frightened by the mannequin;
- The hungriest, or the most daring, individuals will try to get closer to the mannequin little by little, to understand if it is a real threat or not;
- Individuals who have approached will eat the seeds in peace, while the other individuals will imitate the former;
- The whole group of birds returns to feed in the garden.
This short sequence of events includes two behavioral patterns: Habit learning , when the bird approaches the mannequin and learns not to be afraid of it anymore; Learning by imitation , when the other individuals in the group follow those who have already approached.