Affective Expressions

Abstract

Instincts (innate actions), according to Lorenz (1935, 1952), are rigid and stereotypical, genetically determined and species-specific behaviour patterns. A releasing stimulus or stimulus configuration (‘releasing stimulus situation’) is required to elicit an innate behaviour sequence. If the naturally occurring releasing stimulus configuration remains absent, the threshold at which the releasing stimulus elicits the instinctive pattern is progressively lowered until the animal produces the innate behaviour spontaneously. The stimulus configuration that selectively activates an innate behaviour, or the ‘device’ that emits this stimulus configuration, is called ‘releaser’. The ‘releaser’ evokes an instinctive behaviour sequence via activation of an ‘innate releasing mechanism’, that is, the perceptual correlate of the releaser. Each releaser activates a specific ‘innate releasing mechanism’ in the recipient and, thereby, sets off the innate behaviour sequence (Lorenz, 1935, 1952).