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instinctive drift

the tendency of learned, reinforced behavior to gradually return to a more innate behavior. For example, raccoons trained to drop coins into a container will eventually begin to dip the coins into the container, pull them back out, rub them together, and dip them in again. The learned behavior of dropping coins becomes more representative of the innate behavior of food washing. Also called instinctual drift. [proposed in 1961 by U.S. psychologists Keller Breland (1915–1965) and Marian Breland (1920–2001)]

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Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

dopamine receptor

dopamine receptor

a receptor molecule that is sensitive to dopamine and chemically related compounds. Dopamine receptors are located in parts of the nervous system, such as the basal ganglia, and also in blood vessels of the kidneys and mesentery, where binding of dopamine to its receptors results in widening (dilation) of the arteries. There are several subtypes of dopamine receptors, designated D1, D2, and so on. See DRD2 gene.