Ethology is a subdivision of biology that focuses on animal behavior that is innate—a study of animal behavior that holds the belief that most of what animals know is instinctive, not learned. Instincts are genetically programmed behaviors; they generally serve to galvanize the mechanisms that evoke the animal to act or react. Ethology, as a
Cognitive ethology is the study of higher mental functions in animals. Until about 1980, the possibility of cognitive powers in animals was largely denied. This aversion to thinking about the animal mind was rooted in the deeply embarrassing “Clever Hans” incident. In the early 1900s, a horse known as “Clever Hans” was apparently taught language
Ethology is a branch of biology that focuses on animal behavior. It originated in European zoology in the 1930s and revolved around the study of instinctive and fixed-action patterns of behavior. Ethologists study the animal’s behavior in its natural environment rather than in a laboratory. Ethology paved the way for comparative psychology. Specifically, ethologists and