The study of animal behavior is a cornerstone of psychology for several reasons. Ethology, or the study of animals in their natural habitats, sheds light on how animals interact with each other ...

The brain circuitry that controls innate, or instinctive, behaviors such as mating and fighting was thought to be genetically hardwired. Not so, neuroscientists now say.

Given that the oxytocin circuits that help produce this innate, "first-aid-like" behavior are widespread across the animal kingdom, Zhang and Whit Tao suspect that such behaviors might be ...

University of California, Los Angeles, researchers have identified neural mechanisms behind prosocial behaviors in mice directed toward unresponsive conspecifics. Their findings suggest that mice ...

No means "no," for other primates too. "At the Arnhem Zoo, we had a female chimpanzee who would shake her head to say 'no.' For example, when an infant was ready to approach a male in a bad mood ...

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity How understanding animal behavior, including tool use, can shed light on human behavior and culture Date: April 3, 2025 ...

Innate behaviors are genetically hardwired and can be performed in response to stimuli without any prior experience. Learned behaviors are acquired by social learning, often by watching and ...