Читать книгу The Behavior of Animals - Группа авторов - Страница 42

What mechanism “translates” a sign-stimulus into the adequate behavior (Figure 2.2)? The concept of innate releasing mechanism (IRM), introduced by Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen, concerns the observation that some organisms are apparently able to recognize behaviorally meaningful stimuli never before experienced in their environment and to respond to them in a predictable manner (Tinbergen 1951). A sign-stimulus—also called “key-stimulus” was thought to activate the IRM much like a safe is unlocked by a key. The comparison with a key-lock principle may be misleading, however, since it suggests that the IRM is just responsive to one specific stimulus. This is not the case. More likely a sort of “group key” works, since the mechanism responds to a category of stimuli that share a set of defining features. Controversy also surrounds the term “innate” (Chapter 7). A revised concept considers that both experience and genetic factors contribute to behavior, and most authors now refer to the concept as a “releasing mechanism” (RM), or a “releasing system” (Ewert 1987, 1997).