Xref: utzoo sci.psychology:183 rec.birds:517 sci.bio:1058
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!wyse!weitek!pyramid!prls!philabs!ttidca!hollombe
From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: sci.psychology,rec.birds,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Intelligent Parrots, or Self-deception and Gullibility.
Message-ID: <2231@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 5 Apr 88 18:30:40 GMT
References: <1988Mar4.162334.18184@utzoo.uucp> <4299@blia.BLI.COM> <1988Mar9.132722.3364@mntgfx.mentor.com> <2495@geac.UUCP> <2535@saturn.ucsc.edu> <762@actnyc.UUCP>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath)
Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica
Lines: 26

In article <762@actnyc.UUCP> gcf@actnyc.UUCP (Gordon Fitch) writes:
>... What do we call behavior which is apparently programmed
>into the behaving organism?  It used to be called instinct.

There's some question whether _any_ behavior is hard-wired in any creature
above the level of insect.  The following example is from one of my psych.
courses:

New-born chicks will begin to scratch for food almost as soon as they are
able to stand.  This looks to be a classic example of instinct -- a
behavior hard-wired into the organism.  However, if you take a chick and
fit it with a harness that prevents it from pecking at the ground for
food, then spoon feed it, the chick will _never_ scratch for food.  It
will starve to death while standing on a pile of grain if not spoon fed.

So much for _that_ hard-wired behavior.

(Sorry, I can't give a specific reference on the experiment.  It was
discussed in class by our professor, Dr. Keith-Spiegle(sp?), about 10
years ago, and that's all I remember).

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM)   Illegitimati Nil
Citicorp(+)TTI                                           Carborundum
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (213) 452-9191, x2483
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {csun|philabs|psivax|trwrb}!ttidca!hollombe