During an observation of territorial behaviour in male three-spined stickleback fish, a researcher presents them with various models. The fish ignore a highly realistic fish model that lacks a red underside, but vigorously attack a basic, non-fish-shaped wooden model that has a red stripe painted on its belly.
Explain how this scenario illustrates the concept of a 'fixed action pattern' in relation to ethological explanations of aggression.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Aggression with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 71 questions covering Neural, hormonal and genetic factors in aggression, Ethological and evolutionary explanations of aggression, Social psychological explanations of aggression, Institutional aggression in prisons, and Media influences on aggression, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.