Term ID: T2559

Instinctual Drift

/instinctual-drift/
The tendency for learned behaviors to gradually shift toward species-typical patterns, suggesting that biological predispositions can override conditioning in some situations.
Example: Pigs trained to deposit coins in piggy banks eventually beginning to root and manipulate the coins like food, despite being trained to perform the banking behavior.

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Reference: Breland & Breland (1961)