fixed action pattern

American  

noun

Ethology.

1. a highly stereotyped pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a particular species.

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Etymology

Origin of fixed action pattern

Said to be a translation of German Erbkoordination, term used by Konrad Lorenz

Example Sentences

Yoon and Tennie say that contagious yawning could be due to the activation of a fixed action pattern.

From Scientific American

Minimally, this evidence rejects the simplest explanation for contagious yawning: the fixed action pattern.

From Scientific American

This is called a fixed action pattern.

From Scientific American

It means that contagious yawning is NOT just the result of a fixed action pattern triggered when you see someone else yawn.

From Scientific American