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[[Image:SphexPensylvanicus.jpg|right|thumb|[[Digger wasp]]s are a classic example of fixed action patterns.]]
In [[ethology]], a '''fixed action pattern''' ('''FAP''') is a complex [[behavior]]al sequence that is indivisible and runs to completion. FAPs are invariant and are produced by the [[innate releasing mechanism]] that responds to an external sensory stimulus ([[sign stimulus]]).
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Although fixed action patterns are most common in animals with simpler cognitive capabilities, humans also demonstrate fixed action patterns. For example, infants grasp strongly with their hands as a response to tactile stimulus. This is thought to be a [[vestigial|vestigial mechanism]] where when threatened by a predator a young primate would grab on to a parent's fur so the parent could climb to safety without having to hold its child. See also [[reflex action]]
Fixed action pattern is used in biology to classify ethology.
Another good example of a FAP is within the red-bellied stickleback (fish). They are naturally angry at a specific stimulus, which is other red-bellied sticklebacks. Anything red creates this FAP. The proximate response to this is that due to the stimuli, a nerve sends a signal to attack that red item. The ultimate cause of this behavior stems from the fact that the stickleback needs the area in which it is living for either habitat, food, mating with other sticklebacks, or other purposes. This interaction was studied by [[Niko Tinbergen]].
==See also==
[[Category:Ethology]]▼
* [[Konrad Lorenz]]
▲[[Category:Ethology]]
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